Structurally-colored articles and methods for making and using structurally-colored articles

ABSTRACT

One or more aspects of the present disclosure provide optical element transfer structures that include an optical element releasably coupled with a transfer medium and methods of making and using the optical element transfer structures. The optical element transfer structures can be used to dispose an optical element onto an article, whereby the optical element imparts a structural color to the article.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is the 35 U.S.C. § 0.371 National Stage application ofInternational Application No. PCT/US2018/053488, filed Sep. 28, 2018,which application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 62/565,299, having the title “STRUCTURALLY COLOREDARTICLES AND METHODS OF MAKING STRUCTURALLY COLORED ARTICLES”, filed onSep. 29, 2017, and to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/633,666,having the title “ARTICLES HAVING STRUCTURAL COLOR AND METHODS ANDSYSTEMS FOR MAKING ARTICLES HAVING STRUCTURAL COLOR”, filed on Feb. 22,2018, and to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/565,306, havingthe title “STRUCTURALLY COLORED STRUCTURES AND ARTICLES, METHODS OFMAKING STRUCTURES AND ARTICLES”, filed on Sep. 29, 2017, and to U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/565,313, having the title“STRUCTURES HAVING STRUCTURAL COLOR AND METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR MAKINGSTRUCTURES HAVING STRUCTURAL COLOR”, filed on Sep. 29, 2017, and U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/565,310, having the title“STRUCTURES HAVING STRUCTURAL COLOR AND METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR MAKINGSTRUCTURES HAVING STRUCTURAL COLOR”, filed on Sep. 29, 2017, thedisclosures which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties.

BACKGROUND

Structural color is caused by the physical interaction of light with themicro- or nano-features of a surface and the bulk material as comparedto color derived from the presence of dyes or pigments that absorb orreflect specific wavelengths of light based on the chemical propertiesof the dyes or pigments. Color from dyes and pigments can be problematicin a number of ways. For example, dyes and pigments and their associatedchemistries for fabrication and incorporation into finished goods maynot be environmentally friendly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further embodiments of the present disclosure will be more readilyappreciated upon review of the detailed description of its variousembodiments, described below, when taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1A-1M illustrates footwear, apparel, athletic equipment,containers, electronic equipment, and vision wear that include theoptical element of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 2A-2B illustrate side views of exemplary optical elements of thepresent disclosure.

DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure provides for articles methods of making articlesthat exhibit structural colors through the use of optical elementsdisposed onto the article using a transfer structure, where structuralcolors are visible colors produced, at least in part, through opticaleffects (e.g., through scattering, refraction, reflection, interference,and/or diffraction of visible wavelengths of light). The structuralcolor imparts an aesthetically appealing color to the article withoutrequiring the use of inks or pigments and the environmental impactassociated with their use.

One or more aspects of the present disclosure is directed to transferstructures having an optical element disposed thereon (optical elementtransfer structures) and methods of forming transfer structures andusing transfer structures in methods to dispose an optical element to anarticle to impart structural color to the article. In an aspect, anoptical element transfer structure can be formed of the optical element(e.g., a single or multilayer reflector or a multilayer filter) disposedon a transfer medium (e.g., release paper). The transfer structure canthen be used to apply the optical element or portions thereof to thearticle.

According to various aspects, the optical element transferred using thetransfer structure can be used alone or optionally in combination with atextured surface, a primer layer, or both to impart the structuralcolor. The textured surface and/or the primer layer can be part of theoptical element or can be separate from the optical element, but, whenused with the optical element, impart the structural color. In otherwords, while the optical element alone can impart a first structuralcolor, the combination of the optical element with the textured surfaceor primer layer or both impart a second structural color. In someexamples, the second structural color is the same as the secondstructural color. Alternatively, the second structural color can differfrom the first structural color optical element based on a colorparameter such as hue, lightness, or iridescence type. In such cases,the combination of the optical element and the textured surface and/orthe primer layer impart the structural color to the article.

After disposing the optical element to the article, the article exhibitsa different color from the underlying surface of the article, withoutthe application of additional pigments or dyes to the article. Forexample, the structural color can differ from the color of theunderlying surface of the article based on a color parameter such ashue, lightness, iridescence type, or any combination thereof. Inparticular examples, the structural color and the color of theunderlying surface of the article differ both in hue and iridescencetype, where the structural color is iridescent (e.g., exhibits two ormore different hues when viewed from at least two different angles 15degrees apart), and the color of the underlying surface is notiridescent. The optical element can be disposed (e.g., affixed,attached, adhered, bonded, joined) to a surface of one or morecomponents of the article, such as on the shoe upper and/or the sole offootwear.

In an aspect, the method of making the article can include contactingthe optical element transfer structure (e.g., transfer medium includingthe optical element) with a surface of an article under a pressureand/or temperature condition for a time frame so that the opticalelement becomes disposed (e.g. affixed or adhered) to the surface of thearticle. The surface of the article can include a first thermoplasticmaterial (e.g., thermoplastic material such as yarn, films, and thelike), where the optical element is disposed to the thermoplasticmaterial while under appropriate pressure and/or temperature conditions.The thermoplastic material can be reflowed while under the pressureand/or temperature conditions and disposes onto the optical element.Subsequently, the transfer medium can be removed, after cooling, fromthe article leaving the optical element or a portion thereof disposedonto the article. The optical element can impart structural color (e.g.,single color, multicolor, iridescence) to the article. In one aspect,following application of the optical element on the surface of thearticle, the article can appear to be colored (i.e., to have a new,different color than the surface of the article had initially) withoutthe application of pigments or dyes to the article, albeit pigmentsand/or dyes can be used in the design to select the desired structuralcolor.

One type of transfer medium, among others, that can be used inaccordance with the present disclosure is untextured or textured releasepaper. It has been found that application of the optical element fromrelease paper (the optical element and the release paper forming theoptical element transfer structure) results in an article. Using releasepaper as the transfer medium can be particularly suited for use withtextiles including the thermoplastic polymeric material (e.g.,thermoplastic yarn).

In one exemplary example, the optical element transfer structure can beused with an article such as a textile by applying the transferstructure to the surface of the textile, running the textile (includingthe thermoplastic material) and applied release paper through a set ofnip rollers to reflow at least a portion of the thermoplastic material,and then removing the nip rollers and release paper to expose theoptical element affixed to the textile. Application of the opticalelement can thus result in the textile having structural color (article)while the textile remains sufficiently flexible for use in articles offootwear, apparel, and the like.

The present disclosure provides for a method of making a componentcomprising: providing a transfer medium having a first surface and asecond surface; and disposing an optical element onto the first surfaceof the transfer medium, wherein the optical element has a first side anda second side, wherein the first side of the optical element is disposedon the first surface of the transfer medium.

The present disclosure provides for a method of making an articlecomprising: providing an optical element transfer structure having afirst side and a second side, wherein the first side of the opticalelement transfer structure includes a transfer medium, and the secondside of the optical element transfer structure includes an opticalelement; contacting at least a portion of the second side of the opticalelement transfer structure with a first surface of a component of anarticle; disposing at least a portion of the optical element onto thefirst surface of the component; and removing the transfer medium fromthe optical element so that the portion of the optical element remainsdisposed on the component; wherein the optical element, as disposed tothe article, imparts a structural color. The present disclosure providesfor an article comprising a product of the method described above andherein.

The present disclosure provides for an optical element transferstructure comprising: a transfer medium having a first surface and asecond surface; and an optical element disposed on at least a portion ofthe first surface of the transfer medium, wherein the optical elementincludes an optical layer.

The present disclosure provides for an article comprising: a componenthaving a first surface; an optical element disposed to the first surfaceof the component; and a transfer medium releasably coupled with theoptical element.

The present disclosure provides for an article comprising: a componenthaving a first surface, the first surface comprising a firstthermoplastic material; and an optical element disposed to the firstthermoplastic material, wherein the optical element imparts a structuralcolor to the component.

Now having described embodiments of the present disclosure generally,additional discussion regarding embodiments will be described in greaterdetails.

This disclosure is not limited to particular embodiments described, andas such may, of course, vary. The terminology used herein serves thepurpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intendedto be limiting, since the scope of the present disclosure will belimited only by the appended claims.

Where a range of values is provided, each intervening value, to thetenth of the unit of the lower limit unless the context clearly dictatesotherwise, between the upper and lower limit of that range and any otherstated or intervening value in that stated range, is encompassed withinthe disclosure. The upper and lower limits of these smaller ranges mayindependently be included in the smaller ranges and are also encompassedwithin the disclosure, subject to any specifically excluded limit in thestated range. Where the stated range includes one or both of the limits,ranges excluding either or both of those included limits are alsoincluded in the disclosure.

As will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading thisdisclosure, each of the individual embodiments described and illustratedherein has discrete components and features which may be readilyseparated from or combined with the features of any of the other severalembodiments without departing from the scope or spirit of the presentdisclosure. Any recited method may be carried out in the order of eventsrecited or in any other order that is logically possible.

Embodiments of the present disclosure will employ, unless otherwiseindicated, techniques of material science, chemistry, textiles, polymerchemistry, and the like, which are within the skill of the art. Suchtechniques are explained fully in the literature.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used hereinhave the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill inthe art of material science, chemistry, textiles, polymer chemistry, andthe like. Although methods and materials similar or equivalent to thosedescribed herein can be used in the practice or testing of the presentdisclosure, suitable methods and materials are described herein.

As used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms“a,” “an,” and “the” may include plural referents unless the contextclearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a support”includes a plurality of supports. In this specification and in theclaims that follow, reference will be made to a number of terms thatshall be defined to have the following meanings unless a contraryintention is apparent.

The present disclosure is directed to methods of forming optical elementtransfer structures and methods of using optical element transferstructures to form an article having structural color. The opticalelement transfer structure can include a transfer medium and an opticalelement disposed thereon. The present disclosure provides for methods oftransferring the optical element or portions thereon onto the articleusing the optical element transfer structure. The surface of the articlecan be defined by a thermoplastic polymeric material. The opticalelement (e.g., a single or multilayer reflector or a multilayer filter)as disposed on an article can produce optical effects such as structuralcolor on a surface of the article.

The method of making transferring the optical element can includecontacting the optical element transfer structure (e.g., transfer mediumincluding the optical element) with a surface of an article underconditions and for a time frame so that the optical element becomesdisposed (e.g., affixed or adhered) to the surface of the article. In anembodiment, the surface of the article can include the thermoplasticmaterial or materials having thermoplastic material on one or moresurfaces, where the optical element is disposed to the thermoplasticmaterial while under appropriate conditions. The thermoplastic materialcan be reflowed while under appropriate conditions to dispose theoptical element onto the thermoplastic material. Subsequently, thetransfer medium can be removed, after cooling, from the article leavingthe optical element or a portion thereof disposed onto the article.

Articles of the present disclosure include the optical element astransferred from the optical element transfer structure that has thecharacteristic of producing optical effects such as structural color.The optical element includes at least one optical layer (e.g., amultilayer reflector or a multilayer filter) optionally in combinationwith a textured surface (e.g., integral to the optical element or aspart of the surface of the article), optionally with a primer layer,optionally with a protective layer, or optionally with any combinationof the textured surface, the primer layer, and the protective layer. Theoptical element or the combination of the optical element optionallywith the textured surface and/or primer layer impart structural color(e.g., single color, multicolor, iridescent), to the article. Followingdisposing of the optical element onto the article, the article appearsto be colored (i.e., to have a new, different color (e.g., in hue orotherwise defined herein) than the surface of the article had prior tothe disposing) without the application of pigments or dyes to thearticle. However, pigments and/or dyes can be used in conjunction withthe structural color structure to produce aesthetically pleasingeffects.

In an aspect, the article including the transferred optical element caninclude footwear, apparel (e.g., shirts, jerseys, pants, shorts, gloves,glasses, socks, hats, caps, jackets, undergarments), containers (e.g.,backpacks, bags), and upholstery for furniture (e.g., chairs, couches,car seats), bed coverings (e.g., sheets, blankets), table coverings,towels, flags, tents, sails, and parachutes. In addition, thetransferred optical element can be used with or disposed on textiles orother items such as striking devices (e.g., bats, rackets, sticks,mallets, golf clubs, paddles, etc.), athletic equipment (e.g., golfbags, baseball and football gloves, soccer ball restriction structures),protective equipment (e.g., pads, helmets, guards, visors, masks,goggles, etc.), locomotive equipment (e.g., bicycles, motorcycles,skateboards, cars, trucks, boats, surfboards, skis, snowboards, etc.),balls or pucks for use in various sports, fishing or hunting equipment,furniture, electronic equipment, construction materials, eyewear,timepieces, jewelry, and the like.

Referring to FIGS. 1A-1M, the optical element of the present disclosuremay be disclosed on many types of articles, including footwear, apparel,athletic equipment, container, electronic equipment, and vision wear.The optical element is represented by hashed areas 12A′/12M′-12A″/12M″.The location of the optical element is provided only to indicate onepossible area that the optical element can be located. Also, twolocations are illustrated in the figures, but this is done only forillustration purposes as the articles can include one or a plurality ofoptical elements, where the size and location can be determined based onthe item. The optical element(s) located on each item can represent anumber, letter, symbol, design, emblem, graphic mark, icon, logo, or thelike.

In an aspect, the article can include footwear. The footwear can bedesigned for a variety of uses, such as sporting, athletic, military,work-related, recreational, or casual use. Primarily, the article offootwear is intended for outdoor use on unpaved surfaces (in part or inwhole), such as on a ground surface including one or more of grass,turf, gravel, sand, dirt, clay, mud, and the like, whether as anathletic performance surface or as a general outdoor surface. However,the article of footwear may also be desirable for indoor applications,such as indoor sports including dirt playing surfaces for example (e.g.,indoor baseball fields with dirt infields).

The article of footwear can be designed for use in outdoor sportingactivities, such as global football/soccer, golf, American football,rugby, baseball, running, track and field, cycling (e.g., road cyclingand mountain biking), and the like. The article of footwear canoptionally include traction elements (e.g., lugs, cleats, studs, andspikes as well as tread patterns) to provide traction on soft andslippery surfaces, where components of the present disclosure can beused or applied between or among the traction elements and optionally onthe sides of the traction elements but on the surface of the tractionelement that contacts the ground or surface. Cleats, studs and spikesare commonly included in footwear designed for use in sports such asglobal football/soccer, golf, American football, rugby, baseball, andthe like, which are frequently played on unpaved surfaces. Lugs and/orexaggerated tread patterns are commonly included in footwear includingboots design for use under rugged outdoor conditions, such as trailrunning, hiking, and military use.

The article can be an article of apparel (i.e., a garment). The articleof apparel can be an article of apparel designed for athletic or leisureactivities. The article of apparel can be an article of apparel designedto provide protection from the elements (e.g., wind and/or rain), orfrom impacts.

The article can be an article of sporting equipment. The article ofsporting equipment can be designed for use in indoor or outdoor sportingactivities, such as global football/soccer, golf, American football,rugby, baseball, running, track and field, cycling (e.g., road cyclingand mountain biking), and the like.

As has been described herein, the structural color can include one of anumber of colors. The “color” of an article as perceived by a viewer candiffer from the actual color of the article, as the color perceived by aviewer is determined by the actual color of the article by the presenceof optical elements which may absorb, refract, interfere with, orotherwise alter light reflected by the article, by the viewer's abilityto detect the wavelengths of light reflected by the article, by thewavelengths of light used to illuminate the article, as well as otherfactors such as the coloration of the environment of the article, andthe type of incident light (e.g., sunlight, fluorescent light, and thelike). As a result, the color of an object as perceived by a viewer candiffer from the actual color of the article.

Conventionally, color is imparted to man-made objects by applyingcolored pigments or dyes to the object. More recently, methods ofimparting “structural color” to man-made objects have been developed.Structural color is color which is produced, at least in part, bymicroscopically structured surfaces that interfere with visible lightcontacting the surface. The structural color is color caused by physicalphenomena including the scattering, refraction, reflection,interference, and/or diffraction of light, unlike color caused by theabsorption or emission of visible light through coloring matters. Forexample, optical phenomena which impart structural color can includemultilayer interference, thin-film interference, refraction, dispersion,light scattering, Mie scattering, diffraction, and diffraction grating.In various aspects described herein, structural color imparted to anarticle can be visible to a viewer having 20/20 visual acuity and normalcolor vision from a distance of about 1 meter from the article.

As described herein, structural color is produced, at least in part, bythe optical element, as opposed to the color being produced solely bypigments and/or dyes. The coloration of an article can be due solely tostructural color (i.e., the article, a colored portion of the article,or a colored outer layer of the article can be substantially free ofpigments and/or dyes). Structural color can also be used in combinationwith pigments and/or dyes, for example, to alter all or a portion of astructural color.

“Hue” is commonly used to describe the property of color which isdiscernible based on a dominant wavelength of visible light, and isoften described using terms such as magenta, red, orange, yellow, green,cyan, blue, indigo, violet, etc. or can be described in relation (e.g.,as similar or dissimilar) to one of these. The hue of a color isgenerally considered to be independent of the intensity or lightness ofthe color. For example, in the Munsell color system, the properties ofcolor include hue, value (lightness) and chroma (color purity).Particular hues are commonly associated with particular ranges ofwavelengths in the visible spectrum: wavelengths in the range of about700 to 635 nanometers are associated with red, the range of about 635 to590 nanometers is associated with orange, the range of about 590 to 560nanometers is associated with yellow, the range of about 560 to 520nanometers is associated with green, the range of about 520 to 490nanometers is associated with cyan, the range of about 490 nanometers to450 nanometers is associated with blue, and the range of about 450 to400 nanometers is associated with violet.

The color (including the hue) of an article as perceived by a viewer candiffer from the actual color of the article. The color as perceived by aviewer depends not only on the physics of the article, but also itsenvironment, and the characteristics of the perceiving eye and brain.For example, as the color perceived by a viewer is determined by theactual color of the article (e.g., the color of the light leaving thesurface of the article), by the viewer's ability to detect thewavelengths of light reflected or emitted by the article, by thewavelengths of light used to illuminate the article, as well as otherfactors such as the coloration of the environment of the article, andthe type of incident light (e.g., sunlight, fluorescent light, and thelike). As a result, the color of an object as perceived by a viewer candiffer from the actual color of the article.

When used in the context of structural color, one can characterize thehue of an article, i.e., an article that has been structurally coloredby incorporating an optical element into the article, based on thewavelengths of light the structurally-colored portion of the articleabsorbs and reflects (e.g., linearly and non-linearly). While theoptical element may impart a first structural color, the presence of anoptional textured surface and/or primer layer can alter the structuralcolor. Other factors such as coatings or transparent elements mayfurther alter the perceived structural color. The hue of thestructurally colored article can include any of the hues describedherein as well as any other hues or combination of hues. The structuralcolor can be referred to as a “single hue” (i.e., the hue remainssubstantially the same, regardless of the angle of observation and/orillumination), or “multihued” (i.e., the hue varies depending upon theangle of observation and/or illumination). The multihued structuralcolor can be iridescent (i.e., the hue changes gradually over two ormore hues as the angle of observation or illumination changes). The hueof an iridescent multihued structural color can change gradually acrossall the hues in the visible spectrum (e.g., like a “rainbow”) as theangle of observation or illumination changes. The hue of an iridescentmultihued structural color can change gradually across a limited numberof hues in the visible spectrum as the angle of observation orillumination changes, in other words, one or more hues in the visiblespectrum (e.g., red, orange, yellow, etc.) are not observed in thestructural color as the angle of observation or illumination changes.Only one hue, or substantially one hue, in the visible spectrum may bepresent for a single-hued structural color. The hue of a multihuedstructural color can change more abruptly between a limited number ofhues (e.g., between 2-8 hues, or between 2-4 hues, or between 2 hues) asthe angle of observation or illumination changes.

The structural color can be a multi-hued structural color in which twoor more hues are imparted by the structural color.

The structural color can be iridescent multi-hued structural color inwhich the hue of the structural color varies over a wide number of hues(e.g., 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or more hues) when viewed at a single viewingangle, or when viewed from two or more different viewing angles that areat least 15 degrees apart from each other.

The structural color can be limited iridescent multi-hue structuralcolor in which the hue of the structural color varies, or variessubstantially (e.g., about 90 percent, about 95 percent, or about 99percent) over a limited number of hues (e.g, 2 hues, or 3 hues) whenviewed from two or more different viewing angles that are at least 15degrees apart from each other. In some aspects, a structural colorhaving limited iridescence is limited to two, three or four huesselected from the RYB primary colors of red, yellow and blue, optionallythe RYB primary and secondary colors of red, yellow, blue, green, orangeand purple, or optionally the RYB primary, secondary and tertiary colorsof red, yellow, blue, green, orange purple, green-yellow, yellow-orange,orange-red, red-purple, purple-blue, and blue-green.

The structural color can be single-hue angle-independent structuralcolor in which the hue, the hue and value, or the hue, value and chromaof the structural color is independent of or substantially (e.g., about90 percent, about 95 percent, or about 99 percent) independent of theangle of observation. For example, the single-hue angle-independentstructural color can display the same hue or substantially the same huewhen viewed from at least 3 different angles that are at least 15degrees apart from each other (e.g., single-hue structural color).

The structural color imparted can be a structural color having limitediridescence such that, when each color observed at each possible angleof observation is assigned to a single hue selected from the groupconsisting of the primary, secondary and tertiary colors on the redyellow blue (RYB) color wheel, for a single structural color, all of theassigned hues fall into a single hue group, wherein the single hue groupis one of a) green-yellow, yellow, and yellow-orange; b) yellow,yellow-orange and orange; c) yellow-orange, orange, and orange-red; d)orange-red, and red-purple; e) red, red-purple, and purple; f)red-purple, purple, and purple-blue; g) purple, purple-blue, and blue;h) purple-blue, blue, and blue-green; i) blue, blue-green and green; andj) blue-green, green, and green-yellow. In other words, in this exampleof limited iridescence, the hue (or the hue and the value, or the hue,value and chroma) imparted by the structural color varies depending uponthe angle at which the structural color is observed, but the hues ofeach of the different colors viewed at the various angles ofobservations varies over a limited number of possible hues. The huevisible at each angle of observation can be assigned to a singleprimary, secondary or tertiary hue on the red yellow blue (RYB) colorwheel (i.e., the group of hues consisting of red, yellow, blue, green,orange purple, green-yellow, yellow-orange, orange-red, red-purple,purple-blue, and blue-green). For example, while a plurality ofdifferent colors are observed as the angle of observation is shifted,when each observed hue is classified as one of red, yellow, blue, green,orange purple, green-yellow, yellow-orange, orange-red, red-purple,purple-blue, and blue-green, the list of assigned hues includes no morethan one, two, or three hues selected from the list of RYB primary,secondary and tertiary hues. In some examples of limited iridescence,all of the assigned hues fall into a single hue group selected from huegroups a)-j), each of which include three adjacent hues on the RYBprimary, secondary and tertiary color wheel. For example, all of theassigned hues can be a single hue within hue group h) (e.g., blue), orsome of the assigned hues can represent two hues in hue group h) (e.g.,purple-blue and blue), or can represent three hues in hue group h)(e.g., purple-blue, blue, and blue-green).

Similarly, other properties of the structural color, such as thelightness of the color, the saturation of the color, and the purity ofthe color, among others, can be substantially the same regardless of theangle of observation or illumination, or can vary depending upon theangle of observation or illumination. The structural color can have amatte appearance, a glossy appearance, or a metallic appearance, or acombination thereof.

As discussed above, the color (including hue) of an article can varydepending upon the angle at which the article is observed orilluminated. The hue or hues of an article can be determined byobserving the article, or illuminating the article, at a variety ofangles using constant lighting conditions. As used herein, the “angle”of illumination or viewing is the angle measured from an axis or planethat is orthogonal to the surface. The viewing or illuminating anglescan be set between about 0 and 180 degrees. The viewing or illuminatingangles can be set at 0 degrees, 15 degrees, 30 degrees, 45 degrees, 60degrees, and −15 degrees and the color can be measured using acolorimeter or spectrophotometer (e.g., Konica Minolta), which focuseson a particular area of the article to measure the color. The viewing orilluminating angles can be set at 0 degrees, 15 degrees, 30 degrees, 45degrees, 60 degrees, 75 degrees, 90 degrees, 105 degrees, 120 degrees,135 degrees, 150 degrees, 165 degrees, 180 degrees, 195 degrees, 210degrees, 225 degrees, 240 degrees, 255 degrees, 270 degrees, 285degrees, 300 degrees, 315 degrees, 330 degrees, and 345 degrees and thecolor can be measured using a colorimeter or spectrophotometer. In aparticular example of a multihued article colored using only structuralcolor, when measured at 0 degrees, 15 degrees, 30 degrees, 45 degrees,60 degrees, and −15 degrees, the hues measured for article consisted of“blue” at three of the measurement angles, “blue-green” at 2 of themeasurement angles and “purple” at one of the measurement angles.

In other embodiments, the color (including hue, value and/or chroma) ofan article does not change substantially, if at all, depending upon theangle at which the article is observed or illuminated. In instances suchas this the structural color can be an angle-independent structuralcolor in that the hue, the hue and value, or the hue, value and chromaobserved is substantially independent or is independent of the angle ofobservation.

Various methodologies for defining color coordinate systems exist. Oneexample is L*a*b* color space, where, for a given illuminationcondition, L* is a value for lightness, and a* and b* are values forcolor-opponent dimensions based on the CIE coordinates (CIE 1976 colorspace or CIELAB). In an embodiment, an article having structural colorcan be considered as having a “single” color when the change in colormeasured for the article is within about 10% or within about 5% of thetotal scale of the a* or b* coordinate of the L*a*b* scale (CIE 1976color space) at three or more measured observation or illuminationangles selected from measured at observation or illumination angles of 0degrees, 15 degrees, 30 degrees, 45 degrees, 60 degrees, and −15degrees. In certain embodiments, colors which, when measured andassigned values in the L*a*b* system that differ by at least 5 percentof the scale of the a* and b* coordinates, or by at least 10 percent ofthe scale of the a* and b* coordinates, are considered to be differentcolors. The article can have a change of less than about 40%, or lessthan about 30%, or less than about 20%, or less than about 10%, of thetotal scale of the a* coordinate or b* coordinate of the L*a*b* scale(CIE 1976 color space) at three or more measured observation orillumination angles.

A change in color between two measurements in the CIELAB space can bedetermined mathematically. For example, a first measurement hascoordinates L₁*, a₁* and b₁*, and a second measurement has coordinatesL₂*, a₂* and b₂*. The total difference between these two measurements onthe CIELAB scale can be expressed as ΔE*_(ab), which is calculated asfollows: ΔE*_(ab)=[(L₁*−L₂*)²+(a₁*−a₂*)²+(b₁*−b₂*)²]^(1/2). Generallyspeaking, if two colors have a ΔE*_(ab) of less than or equal to 1, thedifference in color is not perceptible to human eyes, and if two colorshave a ΔE*_(ab) of greater than 100 the colors are considered to beopposite colors, while a ΔE*_(ab) of about 2-3 is considered thethreshold for perceivable color difference. In certain embodiments, astructurally colored article having structural color can be consideredas having a “single” color when the ΔE*_(ab) is less than 60, or lessthan 50, or less than 40, or less than 30, between three or moremeasured observation or illumination angles selected from measured atobservation or illumination angles of 0 degrees, 15 degrees, 30 degrees,45 degrees, 60 degrees, and −15 degrees. The article can have a ΔE*abthat is less than about 100, or less than about 80, or less than about60, between two or more measured observation or illumination angles.

Another example of a color scale is the CIELCH color space, where, for agiven illumination condition, L* is a value for lightness, C* is a valuefor chroma, and h° denotes a hue as an angular measurement. In anembodiment, an article having structural color can be considered ashaving a “single” color when the color measured for the article is lessthan 10 degrees different or less than 5 degrees different at the h°angular coordinate of the CIELCH color space, at three or more measuredobservation or illumination angles selected from measured at observationor illumination angles of 0 degrees, 15 degrees, 30 degrees, 45 degrees,60 degrees, and −15 degrees. In certain embodiments, colors which, whenmeasured and assigned values in the CIELCH system that vary by at least45 degrees in the h° measurements, are considered to be different colorsThe article can have a change of less than about 60 degrees, or lessthan about 50 degrees, or less than about 40 degrees, or less than about30 degrees, or less than about 20 degrees, or less than about 10degrees, in the h° measurements of the CIELCH system at three or moremeasured observation or illumination angles.

Another system for characterizing color includes the “PANTONE” MatchingSystem (Pantone LLC, Carlstadt, N.J., USA), which provides a visualcolor standard system to provide an accurate method for selecting,specifying, broadcasting, and matching colors through any medium. In anexample, an article having a structural color can be considered ashaving a “single” color when the color measured for the article iswithin a certain number of adjacent standards, e.g., within 20 adjacentPANTONE standards, at three or more measured observation or illuminationangles selected from 0 degrees, 15 degrees, 30 degrees, 45 degrees, 60degrees, and −15 degrees

Now having described color, additional details regarding the opticalelement are provided. As described herein, the article includes theoptical element. The optical element includes at least one opticallayer. The optical element that can be or include a single or multilayerreflector or a multilayer filter. The optical element can function tomodify the light that impinges thereupon so that structural color isimparted to the article. The optical element can include at least oneoptical layer and optionally one or more additional layers (e.g., aprotective layer, the textured layer, the primer layer, a polymer layer,and the like).

The method of making the structurally colored article can includedisposing (e.g., affixing, attaching, bonding, fastening, joining,appending, connecting, binding, and operably disposing etc.) the opticalelement onto an article (e.g., an article of footwear, an article ofapparel, an article of sporting equipment, etc.). The article includes acomponent, and the component has a surface upon which the opticalelement can be disposed. The surface of the article can be made of amaterial such as a thermoplastic material or thermoset material, asdescribed herein. For example, the article has a surface including athermoplastic material (i.e., a first thermoplastic material), forexample an externally-facing surface of the component or aninternally-facing surface of the component (e.g., an externally-facingsurface or an internally-facing surface a bladder). The optical elementcan be disposed onto the thermoplastic material, for example.

In an aspect, the temperature of at least a portion of the first side ofthe article including the thermoplastic material is increased to atemperature at or above creep relaxation temperature (T_(cr)), Vicatsoftening temperature (T_(vs)), heat deflection temperature (T_(hd)),and/or melting temperature (T_(m)) of the thermoplastic material, forexample to soften or melt the thermoplastic material. The temperaturecan be increased to a temperature at or above the creep relaxationtemperature. The temperature can be increased to a temperature at orabove the Vicat softening temperature. The temperature can be increasedto a temperature at or above the heat deflection temperature. Thetemperature can be increased to a temperature at or above the meltingtemperature. While the temperature of the at least a portion of thefirst side of the article is at or above the increased temperature(e.g., at or above the creep relaxation temperature, the heat deflectiontemperature, the Vicat softening temperature, or the melting temperatureof the thermoplastic material), the optical element is disposed on(e.g., affixed to) the thermoplastic material within the at least aportion of the first side of the article. Following the disposing (e.g.,affixing), the temperature of the thermoplastic material is decreased toa temperature below its creep relaxation temperature to at leastpartially re-solidify the thermoplastic material. The thermoplasticmaterial can be actively cooled (e.g., removing the source thatincreases the temperature and actively (e.g., flowing cooler gasadjacent the article reducing the temperature of the thermoplasticmaterial) or passively cooled (e.g., removing the source that increasesthe temperature and allowing the thermoplastic layer to cool on itsown).

The method of making the article can include disposing (e.g., affixing,attaching, bonding, fastening, joining, appending, connecting, binding)the optical element onto an article (e.g., an article of footwear, anarticle of apparel, an article of sporting equipment, etc.). The articleincludes a component, and the component has a surface upon which theoptical element can be disposed. The surface of the article can be madeof a material such as a thermoplastic material or thermoset material, asdescribed herein. For example, the article has a surface including athermoplastic material (i.e., a first thermoplastic material), forexample an externally-facing surface of the component or aninternally-facing surface of the component (e.g., an externally-facingsurface or an internally-facing surface a bladder). The optical elementcan be disposed onto the thermoplastic material, for example.

The optical element has a first side (including the outer surface) and asecond side opposing the first side (including the opposing outersurface), where the first side or the second side is adjacent thearticle. For example, when the optical element is used in conjunctionwith a component having internally-facing and externally-facingsurfaces, such as a film or a bladder, the first side of the opticalelement can be disposed on the internally-facing surface of thecomponent, such as in the following order: second side of the opticalelement/core of the optical element/first side of the opticalelement/internally-facing surface of the component/core of thecomponent/externally-facing surface of the component. Alternatively, thesecond side the optical element can be disposed on the internally-facingsurface of the component, such as in the following order: first side ofthe optical element/core of the optical element/second side of theoptical element/internally-facing surface of the component/core of thecomponent wall/externally-facing surface of the component. In anotherexample, the first side of the optical element can be disposed on theexternally-facing surface of the component, such as in the followingorder: internally-facing surface of the component/core of thecomponent/externally-facing surface of the component/first side of theoptical element/core of the optical element/second side of the opticalelement. Similarly, the second side of the optical element can bedisposed on the externally-facing surface of the component, such as inthe following order: internally-facing surface of the component/core ofthe component/externally-facing surface of the component/second side ofthe optical element/core of the optical element/first side of theoptical element. In examples where the optional textured surface, theoptional primer layer, or both are present, the textured surface and/orthe primer layer can be located at the interface between the surface ofthe component and a side of the optical element.

The optical element or layers or portions thereof (e.g., optical layer)can be formed using known techniques such as physical vapor deposition,electron beam deposition, atomic layer deposition, molecular beamepitaxy, cathodic arc deposition, pulsed laser deposition, sputteringdeposition (e.g., radio frequency, direct current, reactive,non-reactive), chemical vapor deposition, plasma-enhanced chemical vapordeposition, low pressure chemical vapor deposition and wet chemistrytechniques such as layer-by-layer deposition, sol-gel deposition,Langmuir blodgett, and the like. The temperature of the first side canbe adjusted using the technique to form the optical element and/or aseparate system to adjust the temperature. Additional details areprovided herein.

The optical layer(s) of the optical element can comprise a multilayerreflector. The multilayer reflector can be configured to have a certainreflectivity at a given wavelength of light (or range of wavelengths)depending, at least in part, on the material selection, thickness andnumber of the layers of the multilayer reflector. In other words, onecan carefully select the materials, thicknesses, and numbers of thelayers of a multilayer reflector and optionally its interaction with oneor more other layers, so that it can reflect a certain wavelength oflight (or range of wavelengths), to produce a desired structural color.The optical layer can include at least two adjacent layers, where theadjacent layers have different refractive indices. The difference in theindex of refraction of adjacent layers of the optical layer can be about0.0001 to 50 percent, about 0.1 to 40 percent, about 0.1 to 30 percent,about 0.1 to 20 percent, about 0.1 to 10 percent (and other ranges therebetween (e.g., the ranges can be in increments of 0.0001 to 5 percent)).The index of refraction depends at least in part upon the material ofthe optical layer and can range from 1.3 to 2.6.

The optical layer can include 2 to 20 layers, 2 to 10 layer, 2 to 6layers, or 2 to 4 layers. Each layer of the optical layer can have athickness that is about one-fourth of the wavelength of light to bereflected to produce the desired structural color. Each layer of theoptical layer can have a thickness of about 10 to 500 nanometers orabout 90 to 200 nanometers. The optical layer can have at least twolayers, where adjacent layers have different thicknesses and optionallythe same or different refractive indices.

The optical element can comprise a multilayer filter. The multilayerfilter destructively interferes with light that impinges upon thestructure or article, where the destructive interference of the lightand optionally interaction with one or more other layers or structures(e.g., a multilayer reflector, a textured structure) impart thestructural color. In this regard, the layers of the multilayer filtercan be designed (e.g., material selection, thickness, number of layer,and the like) so that a single wavelength of light, or a particularrange of wavelengths of light, make up the structural color. Forexample, the range of wavelengths of light can be limited to a rangewithin plus or minus 30 percent or a single wavelength, or within plusor minus 20 percent of a single wavelength, or within plus or minus 10percent of a single wavelength, or within plus or minus 5 percent or asingle wavelength. The range of wavelengths can be broader to produce amore iridescent structural color.

The optical layer(s) can include multiple layers where each layerindependently comprises a material selected from: the transition metals,the metalloids, the lanthanides, and the actinides, as well as nitrides,oxynitrides, sulfides, sulfates, selenides, and tellurides of these. Thematerial can be selected to provide an index of refraction that whenoptionally combined with the other layers of the optical elementachieves the desired result. One or more layers of the optical layer canbe made of liquid crystals. Each layer of the optical layer can be madeof liquid crystals. One or more layers of the optical layer can be madeof a material such as: silicon dioxide, titanium dioxide, zinc sulfide,magnesium fluoride, tantalum pentoxide, aluminum oxide, or a combinationthereof. Each layer of the optical layer can be made of a material suchas: silicon dioxide, titanium dioxide, zinc sulfide, magnesium fluoride,tantalum pentoxide, aluminum oxide, or a combination thereof.

The optical element can be uncolored (e.g., no pigments or dyes added tothe structure or its layers), colored (e.g., pigments and/or dyes areadded to the structure or its layers (e.g., dark or black color)),reflective, and/or transparent (e.g., percent transmittance of 75percent or more). The surface of the component upon which the opticalelement is disposed can be uncolored (e.g., no pigments or dyes added tothe material), colored (e.g., pigments and/or dyes are added to thematerial (e.g., dark or black color)), reflective, and/or transparent(e.g., percent transmittance of 75 percent or more).

The optical layer(s) can be formed in a layer-by-layer manner, whereeach layer has a different index of refraction. Each layer of theoptical layer can be formed using known techniques such as physicalvapor deposition including: chemical vapor deposition, pulsed laserdeposition, evaporative deposition, sputtering deposition (e.g., radiofrequency, direct current, reactive, non-reactive), plasma enhancedchemical vapor deposition, electron beam deposition, atomic layerdeposition, molecular beam epitaxy, cathodic arc deposition, lowpressure chemical vapor deposition and wet chemistry techniques such aslayer by layer deposition, sol-gel deposition, Langmuir blodgett and thelike.

As mentioned above, the optical element can include one or more layersin addition to the optical layer(s). The optical element has a firstside (e.g, the side having a surface) and a second side (e.g., the sidehaving a surface), where the first side or the second side is adjacentthe surface of the component. The one or more other layers of theoptical element can be on the first side and/or the second side of theoptical element. For example, the optical element can include aprotective layer and/or a polymeric layer such as a thermoplasticpolymeric layer, where the protective layer and/or the polymeric layercan be on one or both of the first side and the second side of theoptical element. In another example, the optical element can include aprimer layer as described herein. One or more of the optional otherlayers can include a textured surface. Alternatively or in addition, oneor more optical layers of the optical element can include a texturedsurface.

A protective layer can be disposed on the first and/or second side ofthe optical layer to protect the optical layer. The protective layer ismore durable or more abrasion resistant than the optical layer. Theprotective layer is optically transparent to visible light. Theprotective layer can be on the first side of the optical element toprotect the optical layer. All or a portion of the protective layer caninclude a dye or pigment in order to alter an appearance of thestructural color. The protective layer can include silicon dioxide,glass, combinations of metal oxides, or mixtures of polymers. Theprotective layer can have a thickness of about 3 nanometers to 1millimeter.

The protective layer can be formed using physical vapor deposition,chemical vapor deposition, pulsed laser deposition, evaporativedeposition, sputtering deposition (e.g., radio frequency, directcurrent, reactive, non-reactive), plasma enhanced chemical vapordeposition, electron beam deposition, cathodic arc deposition, lowpressure chemical vapor deposition and wet chemistry techniques such aslayer by layer deposition, sol-gel deposition, Langmuir blodgett, andthe like. Alternatively or in addition, the protective layer can beapplied by spray coating, dip coating, brushing, spin coating, doctorblade coating, and the like.

A polymeric layer can be disposed on the first and/or the second side ofthe optical element. The polymeric layer can be used to dispose theoptical element onto an article, such as, for example, when the articledoes not include a thermoplastic material to adhere the optical element.The polymeric layer can comprise a polymeric adhesive material, such asa hot melt adhesive. The polymeric layer can be a thermoplastic materialand can include one or more layers. The thermoplastic material can beany one of the thermoplastic material described herein. The polymericlayer can be applied using various methodologies, such as spin coating,dip coating, doctor blade coating, and so on. The polymeric layer canhave a thickness of about 3 nanometer to 1 millimeter.

As described above, one or more embodiments of the present disclosureprovide articles that incorporate the optical element (e.g., single ormultilayer structures) on a side of a component of the article to impartstructural color. The optical element can be disposed onto thethermoplastic material of the side of the article, and the side of thearticle can include a textile, including a textile comprising thethermoplastic material.

Having described the optical element, additional details will now bedescribed for the optional textured surface. As described herein, thecomponent includes the optical element and the optical element caninclude at least one optical layer and optionally a textured surface.The textured surface can be a surface of a textured structure or atextured layer. The textured surface may be provided as part of theoptical element. For example, the optical element may comprise atextured layer or a textured structure that comprises the texturedsurface. The textured surface may be formed on the first or second sideof the optical element. For example, a side of the optical element canbe formed or modified to provide a textured surface, or a textured layeror textured structure can be disposed on (e.g., affixed to) the first orsecond side of the optical element. The textured surface may be providedas part of the component to which the optical element is disposed. Forexample, the optical element may be disposed onto the surface of thecomponent where the surface of the component is a textured surface, orthe surface of the component includes a textured structure or a texturedlayer.

The textured surface (or a textured structure or textured layerincluding the textured surface) may be provided as a feature on or partof another medium, such as a transfer medium, and imparted to a side orlayer of the optical element or to the surface of the component. Forexample, a mirror image or relief form of the textured surface may beprovided on the side of a transfer medium, and the transfer mediumcontacts a side of the optical element or the surface of the componentin a way that imparts the textured surface to the optical element orarticle. While the various embodiments herein may be described withrespect to a textured surface of the optical element, it will beunderstood that the features of the textured surface, or a texturedstructure or textured layer, may be imparted in any of these ways.

The textured surface can contribute to the structural color resultingfrom the optical element. As described herein, structural coloration isimparted, at least in part, due to optical effects resulting fromphysical phenomena such as scattering, diffraction, reflection,interference or unequal refraction of light rays from an opticalelement. The textured surface (or its mirror image or relief) caninclude a plurality of profile features and flat or planar areas. Theplurality of profile features included in the textured surface,including their size, shape, orientation, spatial arrangement, etc., canaffect the light scattering, diffraction, reflection, interferenceand/or refraction resulting from the optical element. The flat or planarareas included in the textured surface, including their size, shape,orientation, spatial arrangement, etc., can affect the light scattering,diffraction, reflection, interference and/or refraction resulting fromthe optical element. The desired structural color can be designed, atleast in part, by adjusting one or more of properties of the profilefeatures and/or flat or planar areas of the textured surface.

The profile features can extend from a side of the flat areas, so as toprovide the appearance of projections and/or depressions therein. In anaspect, the flat areas can be flat planar areas. A profile feature mayinclude various combinations of projections and depressions. Forexample, a profile feature may include a projection with one or moredepressions therein, a depression with one or more projections therein,a projection with one or more further projections thereon, a depressionwith one or more further depressions therein, and the like. The flatareas do not have to be completely flat and can include texture,roughness, and the like. The texture of the flat areas may notcontribute much, if any, to the imparted structural color. The textureof the flat areas typically contributes to the imparted structuralcolor. For clarity, the profile features and flat areas are described inreference to the profile features extending above the flat areas, butthe inverse (e.g., dimensions, shapes, and the like) can apply when theprofile features are depressions in the textured surface.

The textured surface can comprise a thermoplastic material. The profilefeatures and the flat areas can be formed using a thermoplasticmaterial. For example, when the thermoplastic material is heated aboveits softening temperature a textured surface can be formed in thethermoplastic material such as by molding, stamping, printing,compressing, cutting, etching, vacuum forming, etc., the thermoplasticmaterial to form profile features and flat areas therein. The texturedsurface can be imparted on a side of a thermoplastic material. Thetextured surface can be formed in a layer of thermoplastic material. Theprofile features and the flat areas can be made of the samethermoplastic material or a different thermoplastic material.

The textured surface generally has a length dimension extending along anx-axis, and a width dimension extending along a z-axis, and a thicknessdimension extending along a y-axis. The textured surface has a generallyplanar portion extending in a first plane that extends along the x-axisand the z-axis. A profile feature can extend outward from the firstplane, so as to extend above or below the plane x. A profile feature mayextend generally orthogonal to the first plane, or at an angle greaterto or less than 90 degrees to the first plane.

The dimension (e.g., length, width, height, diameter, depending upon theshape of the profile feature) of each profile feature can be within thenanometer to micrometer range. A textured surface can have a profilefeature and/or flat area with a dimension of about 10 nanometers toabout 500 micrometers. The profile feature can have dimensions in thenanometer range, e.g., from about 10 nanometers to about 1000nanometers. All of the dimensions of the profile feature (e.g., length,width, height, diameter, depending on the geometry) can be in thenanometer range, e.g., from about 10 nanometers to about 1000nanometers. The textured surface can have a plurality of profilefeatures having dimensions that are 1 micrometer or less. In thiscontext, the phrase “plurality of the profile features” is meant to meanthat about 50 percent or more, about 60 percent or more, about 70percent or more, about 80 percent or more, about 90 percent or more, orabout 99 percent or more of the profile features have a dimension inthis range. The profile features can have a ratio of width:height and/orlength:height dimensions of about 1:2 and 1:100, or 1:5 and 1:50, or 1:5and 1:10.

The textured surface can have a profile feature and/or flat area with adimension within the micrometer range of dimensions. A textured surfacecan have a profile feature and/or flat area with a dimension of about 1micrometer to about 500 micrometers. All of the dimensions of theprofile feature (e.g., length, width, height, diameter, depending on thegeometry) can be in the micrometer range, e.g., from about 1 micrometerto about 500 micrometers. The textured surface can have a plurality ofprofile features having dimensions that are from about 1 micrometer toabout 500 micrometer. In this context, the phrase “plurality of theprofile features” is meant to mean that about 50 percent or more, about60 percent or more, about 70 percent or more, about 80 percent or more,about 90 percent or more, or about 99 percent or more of the profilefeatures have a dimension in this range. The height of the profilefeatures (or depth if depressions) can be about 0.1 and 50 micrometers,about 1 to 5 micrometers, or 2 to 3 micrometers. The profile featurescan have a ratio of width:height and/or length:height dimensions ofabout 1:2 and 1:100, or 1:5 and 1:50, or 1:5 and 1:10.

A textured surface can have a plurality of profile features having amixture of size dimensions within the nanometer to micrometer range(e.g., a portion of the profile features are on the nanometer scale anda portion of the profile features are on the micrometer scale). Atextured surface can have a plurality of profile features having amixture of dimensional ratios. The textured surface can have a profilefeature having one or more nanometer-scale projections or depressions ona micrometer-scale projection or depression.

The profile feature can have height and width dimensions that are withina factor of three of each other (0.33w≤h≤3w where w is the width and his the height of the profile feature) and/or height and lengthdimensions that are within a factor of three of each other (0.33l≤h≤3lwhere l is the length and h is the height of the profile feature). Theprofile feature can have a ratio of length:width that is from about 1:3to about 3:1, or about 1:2 to about 2:1, or about 1:1.5 to about 1.5:1,or about 1:1.2 to about 1.2:1, or about 1:1. The width and length of theprofile features can be substantially the same or different.

The profile features can have a certain spatial arrangement. The spatialarrangement of the profile features may be uniform, such as spacedevenly apart or forming a pattern. The spatial arrangement can berandom. Adjacent profile features can be about 1 to 100 micrometersapart or about 5 to 100 micrometers apart. The desired spacing candepend, at least in part, on the size and/or shape of the profilestructures and the desired structural color effect.

The profile features can have a certain cross-sectional shape (withrespect to a plane parallel the first plane). The textured surface canhave a plurality of profile features having the same or similarcross-sectional shape. The textured surface has a plurality of profilefeatures having a mixture of different cross-sectional shapes. Thecross-sectional shapes of the profile features can include polygonal(e.g., square or triangle or rectangle cross section), circular,semi-circular, tubular, oval, random, high and low aspect ratios,overlapping profile features, and the like.

The profile feature (e.g., about 10 nanometers to 500 micrometers) caninclude an upper, convexly curved surface. The curved surface may extendsymmetrically either side of an uppermost point.

The profile feature can include protrusions from the textured surface.The profile feature can include indents (hollow areas) formed in thetextured surface. The profile feature can have a smooth, curved shape(e.g., a polygonal cross-section with curved corners).

The profile features (whether protrusions or depressions) can beapproximately conical or frusto-conical (i.e. the projections or indentsmay have horizontally or diagonally flattened tops) or have anapproximately part-spherical surface (e.g., a convex or concave surfacerespectively having a substantially even radius of curvature).

The profile features may have one or more sides or edges that extend ina direction that forms an angle to the first plane of the texturedsurface. The angle between the first plane and a side or edge of theprofile feature is about 45 degrees or less, about 30 degrees or less,about 25 degrees or less, or about 20 degrees or less. The one or moresides or edges may extend in a linear or planar orientation, or may becurved so that the angle changes as a function of distance from thefirst plane. The profile features may have one or more sides thatinclude step(s) and/or flat side(s). The profile feature can have one ormore sides (or portions thereof) that can be orthogonal or perpendicularto the first plane of the textured surface, or extend at an angle ofabout 10 degrees to 89 degrees to the first plane (90 degrees beingperpendicular or orthogonal to the first plane)). The profile featurecan have a side with a stepped configuration, where portions of the sidecan be parallel to the first plane of the textured surface or have anangle of about 1 degrees to 179 degrees (0 degrees being parallel to thefirst plane)).

The textured surface can have profile features with varying shapes(e.g., the profile features can vary in shape, height, width and lengthamong the profile features) or profile features with substantiallyuniform shapes and/or dimensions. The structural color produced by thetextured surface can be determined, at least in part, by the shape,dimensions, spacing, and the like, of the profile features.

The profile features can be shaped so as to result in a portion of thesurface (e.g., about 25 to 50 percent or more) being about normal to theincoming light when the light is incident at the normal to the firstplane of the textured surface. The profile features can be shaped so asto result in a portion of the surface (e.g., about 25 to 50 percent ormore) being about normal to the incoming light when the light isincident at an angle of up to 45 degrees to the first plane of thetextured surface.

The spatial orientation of the profile features on the textured surfaceis set to reduce distortion effects, e.g., resulting from theinterference of one profile feature with another in regard to thestructural color of the structure. Since the shape, dimension, relativeorientation of the profile features can vary considerably across thetextured surface, the desired spacing and/or relative positioning for aparticular area (e.g., in the micrometer range or about 1 to 10 squaremicrometers) having profile features can be appropriately determined. Asdiscussed herein, the shape, dimension, relative orientation of theprofile features affect the contours of the optical element (or opticallayer), so the dimensions (e.g., thickness), index of refraction, numberof layers in the optical element are considered when designing thetextured side of the texture layer.

The profile features are located in nearly random positions relative toone another across a specific area of the textured surface (e.g., in themicrometer range or about 1 to 10 square micrometers to centimeter rangeor about 0.5 to 5 square centimeters, and all range increments therein),where the randomness does not defeat the purpose of producing thestructural color. In other words, the randomness is consistent with thespacing, shape, dimension, and relative orientation of the profilefeatures, the dimensions (e.g., thickness), index of refraction, andnumber of layers in the optical layer, and the like, with the goal toachieve the structural color.

The profile features are positioned in a set manner relative to oneanother across a specific area of the textured surface to achieve thepurpose of producing the structural color. The relative positions of theprofile features do not necessarily follow a pattern, but can follow apattern consistent with the desired structural color. As mentioned aboveand herein, various parameters related to the profile features, flatareas, and optical element (e.g., optical layer) can be used to positionthe profile features in a set manner relative to one another.

The textured surface can include micro and/or nanoscale profile featuresthat can form gratings (e.g., a diffractive grating), photonic crystalstructure, a selective mirror structure, crystal fiber structures,deformed matrix structures, spiraled coiled structures, surface gratingstructures, and combinations thereof. The textured surface can includemicro and/or nanoscale profile features that form a grating having aperiodic or non-periodic design structure to impart the structuralcolor. The micro and/or nanoscale profile features can have apeak-valley pattern of profile features and/or flat areas to produce thedesired structural color. The grading can be an Echelette grating.

The profile features and the flat areas of the textured surface in theoptical element can appear as topographical undulations in each layer ofthe optical layer. For example, referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, an opticalelement 200 includes a textured structure 220 having a plurality ofprofile features 222 and flat areas 224. As described herein, one ormore of the profile features 222 can be projections from a surface ofthe textured structure 220 (as shown in FIG. 2A), and/or one or more ofthe profile features 222 can be depressions in a surface of the texturedstructure 220 (as shown in FIG. 2B). One or more optical layers 240 aredisposed on the side or surface of the textured structure 220 having theprofile features 222 and flat areas 224. In some embodiments, theresulting topography of the one or more optical layers 240 is notidentical to the topography of the textured structure 220, but rather,the one or more optical layers 240 can have elevated or depressedregions 242 which are either elevated or depressed relative to theheight of the planar regions 244 and which roughly correspond to thelocation of the profile features 222 of the textured structure 220. Theone or more optical layers 240 also have planar regions 244 that roughlycorrespond to the location of the flat areas 224 of the texturedstructure 220. Due to the presence of the elevated or depressed regions242 and the planar regions 244, the resultant overall topography of theoptical layer 240 can be that of an undulating or wave-like structure.The dimension, shape, and spacing of the profile features along with thenumber of layers of the optical layer, the thickness of each of thelayers, refractive index of each layer, and the type of material, can beused to produce an optical element which results in a particularstructural color.

Now having described the optical element and the textured surface,additional details will be provided for the optionally present primerlayer. The optical element is used to produce the structural color,where the optical element can include (e.g., as part of the opticalelement) or use the primer layer to produce the structural color. Asdescribed herein, the optical element can also include (e.g., as part ofoptical element) the optional textured surface, such as a texture layerand/or a textured structure. The combination of the optical element andthe optional texture layer and the optional primer layer can form astructural color structure having one of the following designs: texturelayer/primer layer/optical element or primer layer/texture layer/opticalelement. The primer layer can have a thickness of about 3 nanometers to200 micrometers, or about 1 to about 200 micrometers, or about 10 toabout 100 micrometers, or about 10 to about 80 micrometers. Thestructural color structure can include the combination of the primerlayer, the optical element, and (optionally) textured surface. Selectionof variables associated with the primer layer, texture layer, and theoptical element, can be used to control and select the desiredstructural color.

The structural color structure can include the primer layer, thetextured surface (optionally), and the optical element (e.g., opticallayer), where the optical element is disposed on the textured surface orthe primer layer, depending upon the design. The combination of theprimer layer, the textured surface, and the optical element impartsstructural color, to the article, where the structural color isdifferent than the primer color, optionally with or without theapplication of pigments or dyes to the article. The optical element canbe disposed onto the primer layer and/or the textured surface. Theprimer layer can include the textured surface as described herein. Forexample, the primer layer can be formed in a way so that it has thetextured surface.

The primer layer can include a paint layer (e.g., dyes, pigments, and acombination thereof), an ink layer, a reground layer, an at leastpartially degraded polymer layer, a metal layer, an oxide layer, or acombination thereof. The primer layer can have a light or dark color.The primer layer can have a dark color. For example the dark color canbe selected from: black, shades of black, brown, dark shades of brown,dark shades of red, dark shades of orange, dark shades of yellow, darkshades of green, dark shades of cyan, dark shades of blue, dark shadesof violet, grey, dark shades of gray, dark shades of magenta, darkshades of indigo, tones, tints, shades, or hues of any of these, and acombination thereof. The color can be defined using the L*a*b system,where the value of L* can be about 70 or less, about 60 or less, about50 or less, about 40 or less, or about 30 or less and a* and b*coordinate values can vary across the positive and negative valuescales.

The primer layer can be formed using digital printing, inkjet printing,offset printing, pad printing, screen printing, flexographic printing,heat transfer printing, physical vapor deposition including: chemicalvapor deposition, pulsed laser deposition, evaporative deposition,sputtering deposition (radio frequency, direct current, reactive,non-reactive), plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, electron beamdeposition, cathodic arc deposition, low pressure chemical vapordeposition and wet chemistry techniques such as layer by layerdeposition, sol-gel deposition, or Langmuir blodgett. Alternatively orin addition, the primer layer can be applied by spray coating, dipcoating, brushing, spin coating, doctor blade coating, and the like.

The primer layer can have a percent transmittance of about 40% or less,about 30% or less, about 20% or less, about 15% or less, about 10% orless, about 5% or less, or about 1% or less, where “less” can includeabout 0% (e.g., 0 to 0.01 or 0 to 0.1), about 1%, about 2.5%, or about5%.

The primer layer can include a paint composition that, upon applying tothe structure, forms a thin layer. The thin layer can be a solid filmhaving a dark color, such as those described above. The paintcomposition can include known paint compositions that can comprise oneor more of the following components: one or more paint resin, one ormore polymers, one or more dyes, and one or more pigments as well aswater, film-forming solvents, drying agents, thickeners, surfactants,anti-skinning agents, plasticizers, mildewcides, mar-resistant agents,anti-flooding agents, and combinations thereof.

The primer layer can comprise a reground, and at least partiallydegraded, polymer layer. The reground, and at least partially degraded,polymer layer can have a dark color, such as those described above.

The primer layer can include a metal layer or the oxide layer. The metallayer or the oxide layer can have a dark color, such as those describedabove. The oxide layer can be a metal oxide, a doped metal oxide, or acombination thereof. The metal layer, the metal oxide or the doped metaloxide can include the following: the transition metals, the metalloids,the lanthanides, and the actinides, as well as nitrides, oxynitrides,sulfides, sulfates, selenides, tellurides and a combination of these.The metal oxide can include titanium oxide, aluminum oxide, silicondioxide, tin dioxide, chromia, iron oxide, nickel oxide, silver oxide,cobalt oxide, zinc oxide, platinum oxide, palladium oxide, vanadiumoxide, molybdenum oxide, lead oxide, and combinations thereof as well asdoped versions of each. In some aspects, the primer layer can consistessentially of a metal oxide. In some aspects, the primer layer canconsist essentially of titanium dioxide or silicon dioxide. In someaspects, the primer layer can consist essentially of titanium dioxide.The metal oxide can be doped with water, inert gasses (e.g., argon),reactive gasses (e.g., oxygen or nitrogen), metals, small molecules, anda combination thereof. In some aspects, the primer layer can consistessentially of a doped metal oxide or a doped metal oxynitride or both.

The primer layer can be a coating on the surface of the article. Thecoating can be chemically bonded (e.g., covalently bonded, ionicallybonded, hydrogen bonded, and the like) to the surface of the article.The coating has been found to bond well to a surface made of a polymericmaterial. In an example, the surface of the article can be made of apolymeric material such as a polyurethane, including a thermoplasticpolyurethane (TPU), as those described herein.

The coating can be a crosslinked coating that includes one or morecolorants such as solid pigment particles or dye. The crosslinkedcoating can be a matrix of crosslinked polymers (e.g., a crosslinkedpolyester polyurethane polymer or copolymer). The colorants can beentrapped in the coating, including entrapped in the matrix ofcrosslinked polymers. The solid pigment particles or dye can bephysically entrapped in the crosslinked polymer matrix, can bechemically bonded (e.g., covalently bonded, ionically bonded, hydrogenbonded, and the like, with the coating including the polymeric matrix orwith the material forming the surface of the article to which thecoating is applied), or a combination of physically bonded andchemically bonded with the coating or article. The crosslinked coatingcan have a thickness of about 0.01 micrometers to 1000 micrometers.

The coating can be a product (or also referred to as “crosslinkedproduct”) of crosslinking a polymeric coating composition. The polymericcoating composition can include one or more colorants (e.g., solidpigment particles or dye) in a dispersion of polymers. The dispersion ofpolymers can include a water-borne dispersion of polymers such as awater-borne dispersion of polyurethane polymers, including polyesterpolyurethane copolymers). The water-borne dispersion of polymers can becrosslinked to entrap the colorants. The colorants can be physicallyentrapped in the crosslinked product, can be chemically bonded (e.g.,covalently bonded, ionically bonded, hydrogen bonded, and the like, withthe crosslinked copolymer matrix), or can be both physically bonded andchemically bonded with the crosslinked product. The product can beformed by crosslinking the polymeric coating composition. The productcan have a thickness of about 0.01 micrometer to 1000 micrometers.

The coating can include colorants such a pigment (e.g., a solid pigmentparticle) or a dye. The solid pigment particles can include inorganicpigments such as metal and metal oxides such as homogeneous inorganicpigments, core-shell pigments and the like, as well as carbon pigments(e.g., carbon black), clay earth pigments, and ultramarine pigments. Thesolid pigment particles can be biological or organic pigments. The solidpigment particles can be of a type known in the art as an extenderpigment, which include, but are not limited to, calcium carbonate,calcium silicate, mica, clay, silica, barium sulfate and the like. Theamount of the solid pigment particles sufficient to achieve the desiredcolor intensity, shade, and opacity, can be in amounts up to about 5percent to 25 percent or more by weight of the coating. The pigments caninclude those sold by KP Pigments such as pearl pigments, color shiftpigments (e.g., CALYPSO, JEDI, VERO, BLACKHOLE, LYNX, ROSE GOLD, and thelike), hypershift pigments, interference pigments and the like.

The colorant can be a dye such as an anionic dye, a cationic dye, adirect dye, a metal complex dye, a basic dye, a disperse dye, a solventdye, a polymeric dye, a polymeric dye colorant, or a nonionic dye, wherethe coating can include one or more dyes and/or types of dyes. The dyecan be a water-miscible dye. The dye can be a solubilized dye. Theanionic dye can be an acid dye. The dye can be applied separately fromthe coating (e.g., either before or after the coating is applied and/orcured).

Acid dyes are water-soluble anionic dyes. Acid dyes are available in awide variety, from dull tones to brilliant shades. Chemically, acid dyesinclude azo, anthraquinone and triarylmethane compounds. The “ColorIndex” (C.I.), published jointly by the Society of Dyers and Colourists(UK) and by the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists(USA), is the most extensive compendium of dyes and pigments for largescale coloration purposes, including 12000 products under 2000 C.I.generic names. In the C.I. each compound is presented with two numbersreferring to the coloristic and chemical classification. The “genericname” refers to the field of application and/or method of coloration,while the other number is the “constitution number.” Examples of aciddyes include Acid Yellow 1, 17, 23, 25, 34, 42, 44, 49, 61, 79, 99, 110,116, 127, 151, 158:1, 159, 166, 169, 194, 199, 204, 220, 232, 241, 246,and 250; Acid Red, 1, 14, 17, 18, 42, 57, 88, 97, 118, 119, 151, 183,184, 186, 194, 195, 198, 211, 225, 226, 249, 251, 257, 260, 266, 278,283, 315, 336, 337, 357, 359, 361, 362, 374, 405, 407, 414, 418, 419,and 447; Acid Violet 3, 5, 7, 17, 54, 90, and 92; Acid Brown 4, 14, 15,45, 50, 58, 75, 97, 98, 147, 160:1, 161, 165, 191, 235, 239, 248, 282,283, 289, 298, 322, 343, 349, 354, 355, 357, 365, 384, 392, 402, 414,420, 422, 425, 432, and 434; Acid Orange 3, 7, 10, 19, 33, 56, 60, 61,67, 74, 80, 86, 94, 139, 142, 144, 154, and 162; Acid Blue 1, 7, 9, 15,92, 133, 158, 185, 193, 277, 277:1, 314, 324, 335, and 342; Acid Green1, 12, 68:1, 73, 80, 104, 114, and 119; Acid Black 1, 26, 52, 58, 60,64, 65, 71, 82, 84, 107, 164, 172, 187, 194, 207, 210, 234, 235, andcombinations of these. The acid dyes may be used singly or in anycombination in the ink composition.

Acid dyes and nonionic disperse dyes are commercially available frommany sources, including Dystar L.P., Charlotte, N.C. under the tradenameTELON, Huntsman Corporation, Woodlands, Tex., USA under the tradenameERIONYL and TECTILON, BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany under the tradenameBASACID, and Bezema AG, Montlingen, Switzerland under the tradenameBemacid.

The colorant can include the dye and a quaternary (tetraalkyl) ammoniumsalt, in particular when the dye is acidic dye. The quaternary(tetraalkyl) ammonium salt can react with the dye (e.g., acid dye) toform a complexed dye that can be used in the coating. The “alkyl” groupcan include C1 to C10 alkyl groups. The quaternary (tetraalkyl) ammoniumsalt can be selected from soluble tetrabutylammonium compounds andtetrahexylammonium compounds. The counterion of the quaternary ammoniumsalt should be selected so that the quaternary ammonium salt forms astable solution with the dye (e.g., anionic dye). The quaternaryammonium compound may be, for example, a halide (such as chloride,bromide or iodide), hydroxide, sulfate, sulfite, carbonate, perchlorate,chlorate, bromate, iodate, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, phosphite,hexfluorophosphite, borate, tetrafluoroborate, cyanide, isocyanide,azide, thiosulfate, thiocyanate, or carboxylate (such as acetate oroxalate). The tetraalkylammonium compound can be or include atetrabutylammonium halide or tetrahexylammonium halide, particularly atetrabutylammonium bromide or chloride or a tetrahexylammonium bromideor chloride. The coating (e.g., coating, polymeric coating composition(prior to curing) can include about 1 to 15 weight percent of thequaternary ammonium salt. The molar ratio of the acid dye to thequaternary ammonium compound can range from about 3:1 to 1:3 or about1.5:1 to 1:1.5.

The coating (e.g., coating, polymeric coating composition (prior tocuring), monomers and/or polymers of the matrix of crosslinked polymers,or precursors of the coating) can include a cross-linker, whichfunctions to crosslink the polymeric components of the coating. Thecross-linker can be a water-borne cross-linker. The cross-linker caninclude one or more of the following: a polycarboxylic acid crosslinkingagent, an aldehyde crosslinking agent, a polyisocyanate crosslinkingagent, or a combination thereof. The polycarboxylic acid crosslinkingagent can be a polycarboxylic acid having from 2 to 9 carbon atoms. Forexample, the cross-linker can include a polyacrylic acid, a polymaleicacid, a copolymer of acid, a copolymer of maleic acid, fumaric acid, or1, 2, 3, 4-butanetetracarboxylic acid. The concentration of thecross-linker can be about 0.01 to 5 weight percent or 1 to 3 weightpercent of the coating.

The coating (e.g., coating, polymeric coating composition (prior tocuring), monomers and/or polymers of the matrix of crosslinked polymers,or precursors of the coating) can include a solvent. The solvent can bean organic solvent. The organic solvent can be a water-miscible organicsolvent. The coating may not include water, or may be essentially freeof water. For example, the solvent can be or includes acetone, ethanol,2-propanol, ethyl acetate, isopropyl acetate, methanol, methyl ethylketone, 1-butanol, t-butanol, or any mixture thereof.

According to aspects of the disclosure, a method for making an articleincludes providing the optical element transfer structure comprising anoptical element releasably coupled with a transfer medium, and thentransferring the optical element to an article.

One type of transfer medium, among others, that can be used inaccordance with the present disclosure is untextured or textured releasepaper. In an aspect, the transfer medium may have a first side that hasa release material, and the optical element or a portion thereof may bedisposed on the release material so that it may be removed from thetransfer medium and affixed to an article. It has been found thatapplication of the optical element from release paper (the opticalelement and the release paper forming the optical element transferstructure) results in an article having structural color. Using releasepaper as the transfer medium can be particularly suited for use withtextiles including a thermoplastic polymeric material (e.g.,thermoplastic yarn).

In an aspect, the transfer medium, or a layer on the surface of thetransfer medium, can form a textured surface on the optical element. Thetransfer medium can include a textured layer (as part of the transfermedium or a layer formed thereon) having a textured surface, which isused to impart the textured surface in the optical element. For example,the transfer medium can have a first textured surface, and as a resultof disposing the optical element on the first textured surface, theoptical element may have a second textured surface that is an inverse orrelief of the first textured surface.

In an aspect, the method of making the can include contacting theoptical element transfer structure (e.g., transfer medium including theoptical element with a surface of an article (or a component thereof)under a pressure and/or temperature condition for a time frame so thatthe optical element is disposed onto the surface of the article. Thesurface of the article can include a thermoplastic material (e.g.,thermoplastic fiber, yarn, film, layer, skin), where the optical elementis disposed to the thermoplastic material while under appropriatepressure and/or temperature conditions. The thermoplastic material canbe reflowed while under the pressure and/or temperature conditions andis disposed onto the article. Subsequently, the transfer medium can beremoved, after cooling, from the article leaving the optical elementaffixed to the article.

In one exemplary embodiment, the transfer medium (optical elementtransfer structure) can be used with the article such as a textile byapplying the transfer medium to the surface of the textile, running thetextile (including the thermoplastic material) and applied release paperthrough a set of nip rollers to reflow at least a portion of thethermoplastic material, and then removing the nip rollers and releasepaper to result in the optical element being affixed to the textile.Application of the optical element to the textile imparts structuralcolor to the textile, while the textile remains sufficiently flexiblefor use in articles of footwear, apparel, and the like.

In an aspect, one method for making the optical element transferstructure includes providing a transfer medium having a first surface,and a second surface, and disposing an optical element on the firstsurface of the transfer medium. The optical element has a first side anda second side and the first side of the optical element is in contactwith the first side of the transfer medium. In an aspect, the transfermedium can include a cellulose, such as a release paper. In an aspectone side of the transfer medium includes a release material comprisingpolyeolefins, silicones, polyurethanes, or a combination thereof. Insome aspects, the release material may include a material having asoftening or melting temperature such that when the release material isheated above the softening or melting temperature, the optical elementmay be more easily released from the transfer medium. For example, arelease material may have a softening or melting temperature of fromabout 105 degrees C. to about 140 degrees C.

In an aspect, the optical element can be formed or disposed on thetransfer medium, such as on the release material. Additional detailsregarding the optical element are provided herein. In some aspects, thefirst surface of the transfer medium, can be substantially flat, and theoptical element is disposed on the flat first surface. In other aspects,the first surface of the transfer medium can be at least partiallytextured, and the optical element is disposed on the textured surface,which results in forming a texture on the surface of the opticalelement. If desired, an optional textured surface can alternatively beformed on a layer within the optical element, or on one or both surfacesof the optical element. In some aspects, an optional primer layer may beformed on the transfer medium. The primer layer may be formed on thefirst or second side of the optical element. Additional detailsregarding the primer layer are provided herein.

In an aspect, a method of making an article includes contacting a regionof the second side of the optical element transfer structure with afirst side of a component of an article and disposed at least a portionof the optical element to the first side of the component. The opticalelement transfer structure can be removed so that the portion of theoptical element remains disposed onto the component.

In another aspect, disposing at least a portion of the optical elementto the first side of the article can include increasing a temperature ofthe second side of the optical element transfer structure (e.g., thethermoplastic material) and applying pressure to the second side of theoptical element transfer structure. The temperature of the second sideof the optical element transfer structure can then be decreased. Theoptical element transfer structure can be removed during or after thetemperature is decreased so that the portion of the optical elementremains disposed onto the component.

Now having described the method in general, other aspects of the methodor more particular aspects of the method will now be described. In anaspect, at least a portion of the optical element can be disposed ontothe first side of the component of the article. In an aspect, disposingcan include increasing a temperature of the second side of the opticalelement transfer structure, applying pressure to the second side of theoptical element transfer structure, and/or decreasing the temperature ofthe second side of the optical element. In as aspect, during disposing,increasing of the temperature can be conducted prior to or concurrentlywith the contacting and the applying pressure, and prior to thedecreasing the temperature, and decreasing the temperature is conductedprior to the removing. In an aspect, increasing the temperature caninclude increasing the temperature of the second side of the opticalelement transfer structure to a temperature above a softening or meltingtemperature of a release material of the optical element transferstructure.

In an aspect, the component of the article can be defined at least inpart by a first thermoplastic material, and the optical element isdisposed onto the first thermoplastic material. In an aspect, increasingthe temperature can include increasing the temperature to a firsttemperature that is at or above a creep relaxation temperature, a heatdeflection temperature, a Vicat softening temperature, or a meltingtemperature of the first thermoplastic material. While the temperatureis at or above the first temperature, the optical element can bedisposed onto the first thermoplastic material.

In another aspect, the method can include increasing a temperature ofthe component of the article to a first temperature that is at or abovea creep relaxation temperature, a heat deflection temperature, a Vicatsoftening temperature, or a melting temperature of the firstthermoplastic material. The temperature can be lowered to a secondtemperature that is below the creep relaxation temperature, the heatdeflection temperature, the Vicat softening temperature, or the meltingtemperature of the first thermoplastic material to partially re-solidifythe thermoplastic material and then the optical element can be disposedonto the thermoplastic material.

As described generally above, the thermoplastic material of the articlecan be reflowed before or during the time frame when the optical layertransfer structure (e.g., transfer medium) is in direct contact with thethermoplastic material of the surface of the article, optionally underpressure, to transfer the optical element to the surface of the firstthermoplastic material of the article. The first thermoplastic materialcan be subject to heating before and/or during application of thetransfer medium. As stated above, the temperature can be selected basedon the composition of the first thermoplastic material, in particularthe thermoplastic polymer. In some aspects, the first thermoplasticmaterial has material has a creep relaxation temperature, a heatdeflection temperature, a Vicat softening temperature, or a meltingtemperature of about 80 degrees C. to about 140 degrees C.

In an aspect, a pressure can be applied between the transfer medium andthe first thermoplastic material of the article so that the transferstructure and the thermoplastic material are in direct contact with oneanother so that the optical element contacts and is disposed onto thefirst thermoplastic material. For example, the transfer structure andthe thermoplastic material can be passed through a roller system (e.g.,nip rolls) or other similar system that causes the transfer structureand the thermoplastic material to directly contact one another todisposed the optical element to the article.

Once the optical element is disposed on or affixed to the firstthermoplastic material of the article, the transfer medium can beremoved. In an aspect, the removal of the transfer medium can beperformed after the first thermoplastic material, specifically thethermoplastic polymer, has cooled near or below one of the creeprelaxation temperature, the heat deflection temperature, the Vicatsoftening temperature, or the melting temperature of the firstthermoplastic material to partially re-solidify the first thermoplasticmaterial.

In another aspect and as described generally above, the article may ormay not include a thermoplastic material. In an aspect, the article (orcomponent thereof) can include a first constituent comprising the firstthermoplastic material. Disposing can include disposing the opticalelement to the first constituent. In some aspects, the first constituentcan include an externally facing surface that comprises the firstthermoplastic material and the optical element is disposed to theexternally-facing surface. In some aspects, the first surface of thearticle (or component thereof) further includes a second constituentthat is different from the first constituent, wherein the secondconstituent is selected from a group consisting of a first fiber orfilament, a first yarn, a film, a textile, or a combination thereof, andduring the disposing step, the optical element is not affixed to thesecond constituent. For example, the second constituent can comprise apolymeric material having a creep relaxation temperature, a heatdeflection temperature, a Vicat softening temperature, or a meltingtemperature that is at least 20 degrees C. above the creep relaxationtemperature, the heat deflection temperature, the Vicat softeningtemperature, or the melting temperature of the first thermoplasticmaterial; and increasing the temperature of the first surface of thecomponent to a first temperature does not result in softening or meltingof the second constituent.

In instances where portions of the article do not include athermoplastic material (e.g., second yarn) or only portions (e.g.,select yarns (first yarn)) include the thermoplastic material, theoptical element can include a thermoplastic layer that can appliedagainst the surface of the article. In this regard, the thermoplasticmaterial can be reflowed before or during the time frame when transfermedium is in direct contact with the surface of the article, optionallyunder pressure, to transfer the optical element to the article. Thethermoplastic material can be subject to heating before and/or duringapplication of the transfer medium. The temperature of the thermoplasticmaterial is above a softening temperature so that the optical elementbecomes disposed onto the article. As stated above, the temperature canbe selected based on the composition of the thermoplastic material, inparticular the thermoplastic polymer.

In an aspect, a pressure can be applied between the transfer medium andthe article so that the transfer medium and the thermoplastic materialare in direct contact with one another so that the optical elementadheres to the article. For example, the transfer medium and the articlecan be passed through a roller system (e.g., nip rolls) or other similarsystem that causes the transfer medium and the article to directlycontact one another to affix the optical element to the article. Oncethe optical element is disposed on or affixed to the article, thetransfer medium can be removed. In an aspect, the removal of thetransfer medium can be performed after the thermoplastic material,specifically the thermoplastic polymer, has cooled near or below thesoftening temperature so that it is at least partially solidified andthe article and the optical element are adhered to one another.

In another aspect, the method also includes contacting the second sideof the optical layer onto a first side of an article. In an aspect,thermal energy and/or pressure can be applied to the second sidetransfer medium for a time frame to affix (e.g., adhered to or attachedto one another) a portion of the optical layer to the article.Subsequently, the transfer medium is removed from the first side of theoptical layer so that a portion of the optical layer remains affixed tothe article.

In an aspect, the pressure applied, the thermal energy applied, and/orthe time frame of the application can each vary depending upon thearticle, the transfer medium, and the like. In general, the pressureapplied can be about 30 psi to 90 psi, or about 40 psi to about 80 psi.The thermal energy can raise the temperature of the article, inparticular, the thermoplastic material of the article to near or abovethe softening temperature and/or melting temperature so that the opticalelement adheres to the article. In general, the temperature can dependupon the thermoplastic material selected and can be about 80° C. toabout 140 psi. In general, the time frame can be from 2 seconds to 10minutes or more. Any combination of pressure, temperature, and time canbe used to affix the optical element to the article.

In some aspects, the first surface of the component, prior to theincreasing its temperature, can have an externally-facing portion whichcomprises a plurality of fibers in a filamentous conformation thatinclude the first thermoplastic material, and increasing the temperatureto a first temperature at or above a creep relaxation temperature, aheat deflection temperature, a Vicat softening temperature, or a meltingtemperature of the first thermoplastic material results in a softeningor melting the first thermoplastic material which alters theconformation of at least a portion of the fibers present on theexternally-facing portion of the first surface so that they have anon-filamentous conformation, producing a non-filamentous region on thefirst surface of the component. In some aspects, the optical element maybe disposed onto the first surface of the component while thetemperature is at or above the first temperature. In other aspects, thetemperature of the first surface of the component can be lowered to atleast partially re-solidify the first thermoplastic material of thenon-filamentous region, and then the optical element can be affixed tothe non-filamentous region.

An aspect of the present disclosure includes a system for disposing theoptical element to the thermoplastic material of the article to form thearticle. In an aspect, a first device can be configured to contact theoptical element transfer structure to the surface of the article. In anaspect, the first device can be configured to apply the transfer mediumagainst the article for a time frame, at a selected temperature, and/orat a selected pressure. In an aspect, the first device can be configuredto remove the transfer medium, where the optical element is disposedonto the article. In an aspect, the first device is configured to reflowthe thermoplastic material. In an aspect, the first device is configuredto heat the thermoplastic material before, after, or both applying thetransfer medium to the article, while optionally being able to apply apressure (e.g., nip rolls) between the article and the transfer medium.In this regard, the first device can perform multiple tasks, for exampleat different stages on a production line.

Additional details are provided regarding the polymeric materialsreferenced herein for example, the polymers described in reference tothe article, components of the article, structures, layers, films,bladders, foams, primer layer, coating, and like the.

Additional details are provided regarding the polymeric materialsreferenced herein for example, the polymers described in reference tothe article, components of the article, structures, layers, films,bladders, foams, primer layer, coating, and like the. The polymer can bea thermoset polymer or a thermoplastic polymer. The polymer can be anelastomeric polymer, including an elastomeric thermoset polymer or anelastomeric thermoplastic polymer.

The polymer can be selected from: polyurethanes (including elastomericpolyurethanes, thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs), and elastomericTPUs), polyesters, polyethers, polyamides, vinyl polymers (e.g.,copolymers of vinyl alcohol, vinyl esters, ethylene, acrylates,methacrylates, styrene, and so on), polyacrylonitriles, polyphenyleneethers, polycarbonates, polyureas, polystyrenes, co-polymers thereof(including polyester-polyurethanes, polyether-polyurethanes,polycarbonate-polyurethanes, polyether block polyamides (PEBAs), andstyrene block copolymers), and any combination thereof, as describedherein. The polymer can include one or more polymers selected from thegroup consisting of polyesters, polyethers, polyamides, polyurethanes,polyolefins copolymers of each, and combinations thereof.

The term “polymer” refers to a chemical compound formed of a pluralityof repeating structural units referred to as monomers. Polymers oftenare formed by a polymerization reaction in which the plurality ofstructural units become covalently bonded together. When the monomerunits forming the polymer all have the same chemical structure, thepolymer is a homopolymer. When the polymer includes two or more monomerunits having different chemical structures, the polymer is a copolymer.One example of a type of copolymer is a terpolymer, which includes threedifferent types of monomer units. The co-polymer can include two or moredifferent monomers randomly distributed in the polymer (e.g., a randomco-polymer). Alternatively, one or more blocks containing a plurality ofa first type of monomer can be bonded to one or more blocks containing aplurality of a second type of monomer, forming a block copolymer. Asingle monomer unit can include one or more different chemicalfunctional groups.

Polymers having repeating units which include two or more types ofchemical functional groups can be referred to as having two or moresegments. For example, a polymer having repeating units of the samechemical structure can be referred to as having repeating segments.Segments are commonly described as being relatively harder or softerbased on their chemical structures, and it is common for polymers toinclude relatively harder segments and relatively softer segments bondedto each other in a single monomeric unit or in different monomericunits. When the polymer includes repeating segments, physicalinteractions or chemical bonds can be present within the segments orbetween the segments or both within and between the segments. Examplesof segments often referred to as hard segments include segmentsincluding a urethane linkage, which can be formed from reacting anisocyanate with a polyol to form a polyurethane. Examples of segmentsoften referred to as soft segments include segments including an alkoxyfunctional group, such as segments including ether or ester functionalgroups, and polyester segments. Segments can be referred to based on thename of the functional group present in the segment (e.g., a polyethersegment, a polyester segment), as well as based on the name of thechemical structure which was reacted in order to form the segment (e.g.,a polyol-derived segment, an isocyanate-derived segment). When referringto segments of a particular functional group or of a particular chemicalstructure from which the segment was derived, it is understood that thepolymer can contain up to 10 mole percent of segments of otherfunctional groups or derived from other chemical structures. Forexample, as used herein, a polyether segment is understood to include upto 10 mole percent of non-polyether segments.

As previously described, the polymer can be a thermoplastic polymer. Ingeneral, a thermoplastic polymer softens or melts when heated andreturns to a solid state when cooled. The thermoplastic polymertransitions from a solid state to a softened state when its temperatureis increased to a temperature at or above its softening temperature, anda liquid state when its temperature is increased to a temperature at orabove its melting temperature. When sufficiently cooled, thethermoplastic polymer transitions from the softened or liquid state tothe solid state. As such, the thermoplastic polymer may be softened ormelted, molded, cooled, re-softened or re-melted, re-molded, and cooledagain through multiple cycles. For amorphous thermoplastic polymers, thesolid state is understood to be the “rubbery” state above the glasstransition temperature of the polymer. The thermoplastic polymer canhave a melting temperature from about 90 degrees C. to about 190 degreesC. when determined in accordance with ASTM D3418-97 as described hereinbelow, and includes all subranges therein in increments of 1 degree. Thethermoplastic polymer can have a melting temperature from about 93degrees C. to about 99 degrees C. when determined in accordance withASTM D3418-97 as described herein below. The thermoplastic polymer canhave a melting temperature from about 112 degrees C. to about 118degrees C. when determined in accordance with ASTM D3418-97 as describedherein below.

The glass transition temperature is the temperature at which anamorphous polymer transitions from a relatively brittle “glassy” stateto a relatively more flexible “rubbery” state. The thermoplastic polymercan have a glass transition temperature from about −20 degrees C. toabout 30 degrees C. when determined in accordance with ASTM D3418-97 asdescribed herein below. The thermoplastic polymer can have a glasstransition temperature (from about −13 degree C. to about −7 degrees C.when determined in accordance with ASTM D3418-97 as described hereinbelow. The thermoplastic polymer can have a glass transition temperaturefrom about 17 degrees C. to about 23 degrees C. when determined inaccordance with ASTM D3418-97 as described herein below.

The thermoplastic polymer can have a melt flow index from about 10 toabout 30 cubic centimeters per 10 minutes (cm³/10 min) when tested inaccordance with ASTM D1238-13 as described herein below at 160 degreesC. using a weight of 2.16 kilograms (kg). The thermoplastic polymer canhave a melt flow index from about 22 cm³/10 min to about 28 cm³/10 minwhen tested in accordance with ASTM D1238-13 as described herein belowat 160 degrees C. using a weight of 2.16 kg.

The thermoplastic polymer can have a cold Ross flex test result of about120,000 to about 180,000 cycles without cracking or whitening whentested on a thermoformed plaque of the thermoplastic polymer inaccordance with the cold Ross flex test as described herein below. Thethermoplastic polymer can have a cold Ross flex test result of about140,000 to about 160,000 cycles without cracking or whitening whentested on a thermoformed plaque of the thermoplastic polymer inaccordance with the cold Ross flex test as described herein below.

The thermoplastic polymer can have a modulus from about 5 megaPascals(MPa) to about 100 MPa when determined on a thermoformed plaque inaccordance with ASTM D412-98 Standard Test Methods for Vulcanized Rubberand Thermoplastic Rubbers and Thermoplastic Elastomers-Tension withmodifications described herein below. The thermoplastic polymer can havea modulus from about 20 MPa to about 80 MPa when determined on athermoformed plaque in accordance with ASTM D412-98 Standard TestMethods for Vulcanized Rubber and Thermoplastic Rubbers andThermoplastic Elastomers-Tension with modifications described hereinbelow.

The polymer can be a thermoset polymer. As used herein, a “thermosetpolymer” is understood to refer to a polymer which cannot be heated andmelted, as its melting temperature is at or above its decompositiontemperature. A “thermoset material” refers to a material which comprisesat least one thermoset polymer. The thermoset polymer and/or thermosetmaterial can be prepared from a precursor (e.g., an uncured or partiallycured polymer or material) using thermal energy and/or actinic radiation(e.g., ultraviolet radiation, visible radiation, high energy radiation,infrared radiation) to form a partially cured or fully cured polymer ormaterial which no longer remains fully thermoplastic. In some cases, thecured or partially cured polymer or material may remain thermoelasticproperties, in that it is possible to partially soften and mold thepolymer or material at elevated temperatures and/or pressures, but it isnot possible to melt the polymer or material. The curing can bepromoted, for example, with the use of high pressure and/or a catalyst.In many examples, the curing process is irreversible since it results incross-linking and/or polymerization reactions of the precursors. Theuncured or partially cured polymers or materials can be malleable orliquid prior to curing. In some cases, the uncured or partially curedpolymers or materials can be molded into their final shape, or used asadhesives. Once hardened, a thermoset polymer or material cannot bere-melted in order to be reshaped. The textured surface can be formed bypartially or fully curing an uncured precursor material to lock in thetextured surface.

Polyurethane

The polymer can be a polyurethane, such as a thermoplastic polyurethane(also referred to as “TPU”). Alternatively, the polymer can be athermoset polyurethane. Additionally, polyurethane can be an elastomericpolyurethane, including an elastomeric TPU or an elastomeric thermosetpolyurethane. The elastomeric polyurethane can include hard and softsegments. The hard segments can comprise or consist of urethane segments(e.g., isocyanate-derived segments). The soft segments can comprise orconsist of alkoxy segments (e.g., polyol-derived segments includingpolyether segments, or polyester segments, or a combination of polyethersegments and polyester segments). The polyurethane can comprise orconsist essentially of an elastomeric polyurethane having repeating hardsegments and repeating soft segments.

One or more of the polyurethanes can be produced by polymerizing one ormore isocyanates with one or more polyols to produce polymer chainshaving carbamate linkages (—N(CO)O—) as illustrated below in Formula 1,where the isocyanate(s) each preferably include two or more isocyanate(—NCO) groups per molecule, such as 2, 3, or 4 isocyanate groups permolecule (although, mono-functional isocyanates can also be optionallyincluded, e.g., as chain terminating units).

Each R₁ group and R₂ group independently is an aliphatic or aromaticgroup. Optionally, each R₂ can be a relatively hydrophilic group,including a group having one or more hydroxyl groups.

Additionally, the isocyanates can also be chain extended with one ormore chain extenders to bridge two or more isocyanates, increasing thelength of the hard segment. This can produce polyurethane polymer chainsas illustrated below in Formula 2, where R₃ includes the chain extender.As with each R₁ and R₂, each R₃ independently is an aliphatic oraromatic functional group.

Each R₁ group in Formulas 1 and 2 can independently include a linear orbranched group having from 3 to 30 carbon atoms, based on the particularisocyanate(s) used, and can be aliphatic, aromatic, or include acombination of aliphatic portions(s) and aromatic portion(s). The term“aliphatic” refers to a saturated or unsaturated organic molecule orportion of a molecule that does not include a cyclically conjugated ringsystem having delocalized pi electrons. In comparison, the term“aromatic” refers to an organic molecule or portion of a molecule havinga cyclically conjugated ring system with delocalized pi electrons, whichexhibits greater stability than a hypothetical ring system havinglocalized pi electrons.

Each R₁ group can be present in an amount of about 5 percent to about 85percent by weight, from about 5 percent to about 70 percent by weight,or from about 10 percent to about 50 percent by weight, based on thetotal weight of the reactant compounds or monomers which form thepolymer.

In aliphatic embodiments (from aliphatic isocyanate(s)), each R₁ groupcan include a linear aliphatic group, a branched aliphatic group, acycloaliphatic group, or combinations thereof. For instance, each R₁group can include a linear or branched alkylene group having from 3 to20 carbon atoms (e.g., an alkylene having from 4 to 15 carbon atoms, oran alkylene having from 6 to 10 carbon atoms), one or more cycloalkylenegroups having from 3 to 8 carbon atoms (e.g., cyclopropyl, cyclobutyl,cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl, cycloheptyl, or cyclooctyl), and combinationsthereof. The term “alkene” or “alkylene” as used herein refers to abivalent hydrocarbon. When used in association with the term C_(n) itmeans the alkene or alkylene group has “n” carbon atoms. For example,C₁₋₆ alkylene refers to an alkylene group having, e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,or 6 carbon atoms.

Examples of suitable aliphatic diisocyanates for producing thepolyurethane polymer chains include hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI),isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI), butylenediisocyanate (BDI),bisisocyanatocyclohexylmethane (HMDI), 2,2,4-trimethylhexamethylenediisocyanate (TMDI), bisisocyanatomethylcyclohexane,bisisocyanatomethyltricyclodecane, norbornane diisocyanate (NDI),cyclohexane diisocyanate (CHDI), 4,4′-dicyclohexylmethane diisocyanate(H12MDI), diisocyanatododecane, lysine diisocyanate, and combinationsthereof.

The isocyanate-derived segments can include segments derived fromaliphatic diisocyanate. A majority of the isocyanate-derived segmentscan comprise segments derived from aliphatic diisocyanates. At least 90%of the isocyanate-derived segments are derived from aliphaticdiisocyanates. The isocyanate-derived segments can consist essentiallyof segments derived from aliphatic diisocyanates. The aliphaticdiisocyanate-derived segments can be derived substantially (e.g., about50 percent or more, about 60 percent or more, about 70 percent or more,about 80 percent or more, about 90 percent or more) from linearaliphatic diisocyanates. At least 80% of the aliphaticdiisocyanate-derived segments can be derived from aliphaticdiisocyanates that are free of side chains. The segments derived fromaliphatic diisocyanates can include linear aliphatic diisocyanateshaving from 2 to 10 carbon atoms.

When the isocyanate-derived segments are derived from aromaticisocyanate(s)), each R₁ group can include one or more aromatic groups,such as phenyl, naphthyl, tetrahydronaphthyl, phenanthrenyl,biphenylenyl, indanyl, indenyl, anthracenyl, and fluorenyl. Unlessotherwise indicated, an aromatic group can be an unsubstituted aromaticgroup or a substituted aromatic group, and can also includeheteroaromatic groups. “Heteroaromatic” refers to monocyclic orpolycyclic (e.g., fused bicyclic and fused tricyclic) aromatic ringsystems, where one to four ring atoms are selected from oxygen,nitrogen, or sulfur, and the remaining ring atoms are carbon, and wherethe ring system is joined to the remainder of the molecule by any of thering atoms. Examples of suitable heteroaryl groups include pyridyl,pyrazinyl, pyrimidinyl, pyrrolyl, pyrazolyl, imidazolyl, thiazolyl,tetrazolyl, oxazolyl, isooxazolyl, thiadiazolyl, oxadiazolyl, furanyl,quinolinyl, isoquinolinyl, benzoxazolyl, benzimidazolyl, andbenzothiazolyl groups.

Examples of suitable aromatic diisocyanates for producing thepolyurethane polymer chains include toluene diisocyanate (TDI), TDIadducts with trimethyloylpropane (TMP), methylene diphenyl diisocyanate(MDI), xylene diisocyanate (XDI), tetramethylxylylene diisocyanate(TMXDI), hydrogenated xylene diisocyanate (HXDI), naphthalene1,5-diisocyanate (NDI), 1,5-tetrahydronaphthalene diisocyanate,para-phenylene diisocyanate (PPDI),3,3′-dimethyldiphenyl-4,4′-diisocyanate (DDDI), 4,4′-dibenzyldiisocyanate (DBDI), 4-chloro-1,3-phenylene diisocyanate, andcombinations thereof. The polymer chains can be substantially free ofaromatic groups.

The polyurethane polymer chains can be produced from diisocyanatesincluding HMDI, TDI, MDI, H₁₂ aliphatics, and combinations thereof. Forexample, the polyurethane can comprise one or more polyurethane polymerchains produced from diisocyanates including HMDI, TDI, MDI, H₁₂aliphatics, and combinations thereof.

Polyurethane chains which are at least partially crosslinked or whichcan be crosslinked, can be used in accordance with the presentdisclosure. It is possible to produce crosslinked or crosslinkablepolyurethane chains by reacting multi-functional isocyanates to form thepolyurethane. Examples of suitable triisocyanates for producing thepolyurethane chains include TDI, HDI, and IPDI adducts withtrimethyloylpropane (TMP), uretdiones (i.e., dimerized isocyanates),polymeric MDI, and combinations thereof.

The R₃ group in Formula 2 can include a linear or branched group havingfrom 2 to 10 carbon atoms, based on the particular chain extender polyolused, and can be, for example, aliphatic, aromatic, or an ether orpolyether. Examples of suitable chain extender polyols for producing thepolyurethane include ethylene glycol, lower oligomers of ethylene glycol(e.g., diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, and tetraethylene glycol),1,2-propylene glycol, 1,3-propylene glycol, lower oligomers of propyleneglycol (e.g., dipropylene glycol, tripropylene glycol, andtetrapropylene glycol), 1,4-butylene glycol, 2,3-butylene glycol,1,6-hexanediol, 1,8-octanediol, neopentyl glycol,1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol, 2-ethyl-1,6-hexanediol,1-methyl-1,3-propanediol, 2-methyl-1,3-propanediol, dihydroxyalkylatedaromatic compounds (e.g., bis(2-hydroxyethyl) ethers of hydroquinone andresorcinol, xylene-a,a-diols, bis(2-hydroxyethyl) ethers ofxylene-a,a-diols, and combinations thereof.

The R₂ group in Formula 1 and 2 can include a polyether group, apolyester group, a polycarbonate group, an aliphatic group, or anaromatic group. Each R₂ group can be present in an amount of about 5percent to about 85 percent by weight, from about 5 percent to about 70percent by weight, or from about 10 percent to about 50 percent byweight, based on the total weight of the reactant monomers.

At least one R₂ group of the polyurethane includes a polyether segment(i.e., a segment having one or more ether groups). Suitable polyethergroups include, but are not limited to, polyethylene oxide (PEO),polypropylene oxide (PPO), polytetrahydrofuran (PTHF),polytetramethylene oxide (PTMO), and combinations thereof. The term“alkyl” as used herein refers to straight chained and branched saturatedhydrocarbon groups containing one to thirty carbon atoms, for example,one to twenty carbon atoms, or one to ten carbon atoms. When used inassociation with the term C_(n) it means the alkyl group has “n” carbonatoms. For example, C₄ alkyl refers to an alkyl group that has 4 carbonatoms. C₁₋₇ alkyl refers to an alkyl group having a number of carbonatoms encompassing the entire range (i.e., 1 to 7 carbon atoms), as wellas all subgroups (e.g., 1-6, 2-7,1-5, 3-6, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7carbon atoms). Non-limiting examples of alkyl groups include, methyl,ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, sec-butyl (2-methylpropyl), t-butyl(1,1-dimethylethyl), 3,3-dimethylpentyl, and 2-ethylhexyl. Unlessotherwise indicated, an alkyl group can be an unsubstituted alkyl groupor a substituted alkyl group.

In some examples of the polyurethane, the at least one R₂ group includesa polyester group. The polyester group can be derived from thepolyesterification of one or more dihydric alcohols (e.g., ethyleneglycol, 1,3-propylene glycol, 1,2-propylene glycol, 1,4-butanediol,1,3-butanediol, 2-methylpentanediol, 1,5,diethyleneglycol,1,5-pentanediol, 1,5-hexanediol, 1,2-dodecanediol,cyclohexanedimethanol, and combinations thereof) with one or moredicarboxylic acids (e.g., adipic acid, succinic acid, sebacic acid,suberic acid, methyladipic acid, glutaric acid, pimelic acid, azelaicacid, thiodipropionic acid and citraconic acid and combinationsthereof). The polyester group also can be derived from polycarbonateprepolymers, such as poly(hexamethylene carbonate) glycol,poly(propylene carbonate) glycol, poly(tetramethylene carbonate)glycol,and poly(nonanemethylene carbonate) glycol. Suitable polyesters caninclude, for example, polyethylene adipate (PEA), poly(1,4-butyleneadipate), poly(tetramethylene adipate), poly(hexamethylene adipate),polycaprolactone, polyhexamethylene carbonate, poly(propylenecarbonate), poly(tetramethylene carbonate), poly(nonanemethylenecarbonate), and combinations thereof.

At least one R₂ group can include a polycarbonate group. Thepolycarbonate group can be derived from the reaction of one or moredihydric alcohols (e.g., ethylene glycol, 1,3-propylene glycol,1,2-propylene glycol, 1,4-butanediol, 1,3-butanediol,2-methylpentanediol, 1,5, diethylene glycol, 1,5-pentanediol,1,5-hexanediol, 1,2-dodecanediol, cyclohexanedimethanol, andcombinations thereof) with ethylene carbonate.

The aliphatic group can be linear and can include, for example, analkylene chain having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms or an alkenylene chainhaving from 1 to 20 carbon atoms (e.g., methylene, ethylene, propylene,butylene, pentylene, hexylene, heptylene, octylene, nonylene, decylene,undecylene, dodecylene, tridecylene, ethenylene, propenylene,butenylene, pentenylene, hexenylene, heptenylene, octenylene,nonenylene, decenylene, undecenylene, dodecenylene, tridecenylene). Theterm “alkene” or “alkylene” refers to a bivalent hydrocarbon. The term“alkenylene” refers to a bivalent hydrocarbon molecule or portion of amolecule having at least one double bond.

The aliphatic and aromatic groups can be substituted with one or morependant relatively hydrophilic and/or charged groups. The pendanthydrophilic group can include one or more (e.g., 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,10 or more) hydroxyl groups. The pendant hydrophilic group includes oneor more (e.g., 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or more) amino groups. In somecases, the pendant hydrophilic group includes one or more (e.g., 2, 3,4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or more) carboxylate groups. For example, thealiphatic group can include one or more polyacrylic acid group. In somecases, the pendant hydrophilic group includes one or more (e.g., 2, 3,4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or more) sulfonate groups. In some cases, thependant hydrophilic group includes one or more (e.g., 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,8, 9, 10 or more) phosphate groups. In some examples, the pendanthydrophilic group includes one or more ammonium groups (e.g., tertiaryand/or quaternary ammonium). In other examples, the pendant hydrophilicgroup includes one or more zwitterionic groups (e.g., a betaine, such aspoly(carboxybetaine (pCB) and ammonium phosphonate groups such as aphosphatidylcholine group).

The R₂ group can include charged groups that are capable of binding to acounterion to ionically crosslink the polymer and form ionomers. Forexample, R₂ is an aliphatic or aromatic group having pendant amino,carboxylate, sulfonate, phosphate, ammonium, or zwitterionic groups, orcombinations thereof.

When a pendant hydrophilic group is present, the pendant hydrophilicgroup can be at least one polyether group, such as two polyether groups.In other cases, the pendant hydrophilic group is at least one polyester.The pendant hydrophilic group can be a polylactone group (e.g.,polyvinylpyrrolidone). Each carbon atom of the pendant hydrophilic groupcan optionally be substituted with, e.g., an alkyl group having from 1to 6 carbon atoms. The aliphatic and aromatic groups can be graftpolymeric groups, wherein the pendant groups are homopolymeric groups(e.g., polyether groups, polyester groups, polyvinylpyrrolidone groups).

The pendant hydrophilic group can be a polyether group (e.g., apolyethylene oxide (PEO) group, a polyethylene glycol (PEG) group), apolyvinylpyrrolidone group, a polyacrylic acid group, or combinationsthereof.

The pendant hydrophilic group can be bonded to the aliphatic group oraromatic group through a linker. The linker can be any bifunctionalsmall molecule (e.g., one having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms) capable oflinking the pendant hydrophilic group to the aliphatic or aromaticgroup. For example, the linker can include a diisocyanate group, aspreviously described herein, which when linked to the pendanthydrophilic group and to the aliphatic or aromatic group forms acarbamate bond. The linker can be 4,4′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate(MDI), as shown below.

The pendant hydrophilic group can be a polyethylene oxide group and thelinking group can be MDI, as shown below.

The pendant hydrophilic group can be functionalized to enable it to bondto the aliphatic or aromatic group, optionally through the linker. Forexample, when the pendant hydrophilic group includes an alkene group,which can undergo a Michael addition with a sulfhydryl-containingbifunctional molecule (i.e., a molecule having a second reactive group,such as a hydroxyl group or amino group), resulting in a hydrophilicgroup that can react with the polymer backbone, optionally through thelinker, using the second reactive group. For example, when the pendanthydrophilic group is a polyvinylpyrrolidone group, it can react with thesulfhydryl group on mercaptoethanol to result in hydroxyl-functionalizedpolyvinylpyrrolidone, as shown below.

At least one R₂ group in the polyurethane can include apolytetramethylene oxide group. At least one R₂ group of thepolyurethane can include an aliphatic polyol group functionalized with apolyethylene oxide group or polyvinylpyrrolidone group, such as thepolyols described in E.P. Patent No. 2 462 908, which is herebyincorporated by reference. For example, the R₂ group can be derived fromthe reaction product of a polyol (e.g., pentaerythritol or2,2,3-trihydroxypropanol) and either MDI-derivatized methoxypolyethyleneglycol (to obtain compounds as shown in Formulas 6 or 7) or withMDI-derivatized polyvinylpyrrolidone (to obtain compounds as shown inFormulas 8 or 9) that had been previously been reacted withmercaptoethanol, as shown below.

At least one R₂ of the polyurethane can be a polysiloxane, In thesecases, the R₂ group can be derived from a silicone monomer of Formula10, such as a silicone monomer disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,969,076,which is hereby incorporated by reference:

wherein: a is 1 to 10 or larger (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or10); each R₄ independently is hydrogen, an alkyl group having from 1 to18 carbon atoms, an alkenyl group having from 2 to 18 carbon atoms,aryl, or polyether; and each R₅ independently is an alkylene grouphaving from 1 to 10 carbon atoms, polyether, or polyurethane.

Each R₄ group can independently be a H, an alkyl group having from 1 to10 carbon atoms, an alkenyl group having from 2 to 10 carbon atoms, anaryl group having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, polyethylene, polypropylene,or polybutylene group. Each R₄ group can independently be selected fromthe group consisting of methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl,isobutyl, s-butyl, t-butyl, ethenyl, propenyl, phenyl, and polyethylenegroups.

Each R₅ group can independently include an alkylene group having from 1to 10 carbon atoms (e.g., a methylene, ethylene, propylene, butylene,pentylene, hexylene, heptylene, octylene, nonylene, or decylene group).Each R₅ group can be a polyether group (e.g., a polyethylene,polypropylene, or polybutylene group). Each R₅ group can be apolyurethane group.

Optionally, the polyurethane can include an at least partiallycrosslinked polymeric network that includes polymer chains that arederivatives of polyurethane. The level of crosslinking can be such thatthe polyurethane retains thermoplastic properties (i.e., the crosslinkedthermoplastic polyurethane can be melted and re-solidified under theprocessing conditions described herein). The crosslinked polyurethanecan be a thermoset polymer. This crosslinked polymeric network can beproduced by polymerizing one or more isocyanates with one or morepolyamino compounds, polysulfhydryl compounds, or combinations thereof,as shown in Formulas 11 and 12, below:

wherein the variables are as described above. Additionally, theisocyanates can also be chain extended with one or more polyamino orpolythiol chain extenders to bridge two or more isocyanates, such aspreviously described for the polyurethanes of Formula 2.

The polyurethane chain can be physically crosslinked to anotherpolyurethane chain through e.g., nonpolar or polar interactions betweenthe urethane or carbamate groups of the polymers (the hard segments).The R₁ group in Formula 1, and the R₁ and R₃ groups in Formula 2, formthe portion of the polymer often referred to as the “hard segment”, andthe R₂ group forms the portion of the polymer often referred to as the“soft segment”. The soft segment is covalently bonded to the hardsegment. The polyurethane having physically crosslinked hard and softsegments can be a hydrophilic polyurethane (i.e., a polyurethane,including a thermoplastic polyurethane, including hydrophilic groups asdisclosed herein).

The polyurethane can be a thermoplastic polyurethane composed of MDI,PTMO, and 1,4-butylene glycol, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,523,005.Commercially available polyurethanes suitable for the present useinclude, but are not limited to those under the tradename “SANCURE”(e.g., the “SANCURE” series of polymer such as “SANCURE” 20025F) or“TECOPHILIC” (e.g., TG-500, TG-2000, SP-80A-150, SP-93A-100, SP-60D-60)(Lubrizol, Countryside, Ill., USA), “PELLETHANE” 2355-85ATP and2355-95AE (Dow Chemical Company of Midland, Mich., USA), “ESTANE” (e.g.,ALR G 500, or 58213; Lubrizol, Countryside, Ill., USA).

One or more of the polyurethanes (e.g., those used in the primer as thecoating (e.g., water-dispersible polyurethane)) can be produced bypolymerizing one or more isocyanates with one or more polyols to producecopolymer chains having carbamate linkages (—N(C═O)O—) and one or morewater-dispersible enhancing moieties, where the polymer chain includesone or more water-dispersible enhancing moieties (e.g., a monomer inpolymer chain). The water-dispersible polyurethane can also be referredto as “a water-borne polyurethane polymer dispersion.” Thewater-dispersible enhancing moiety can be added to the chain of Formula1 or 2 (e.g., within the chain and/or onto the chain as a side chain).Inclusion of the water-dispersible enhancing moiety enables theformation of a water-borne polyurethane dispersion. The term“water-borne” herein means the continuous phase of the dispersion orformulation of about 50 weight percent to 100 weight percent water,about 60 weight percent to 100 weight percent water, about 70 weightpercent to 100 weight percent water, or about 100 weight percent water.The term “water-borne dispersion” refers to a dispersion of a component(e.g., polymer, cross-linker, and the like) in water withoutco-solvents. The co-solvent can be used in the water-borne dispersionand the co-solvent can be an organic solvent. Additional detailregarding the polymers, polyurethanes, isocyantes and the polyols areprovided below.

The polyurethane (e.g., a water-borne polyurethane polymer dispersion)can include one or more water-dispersible enhancing moieties. Thewater-dispersible enhancing moiety can have at least one hydrophilic(e.g., poly(ethylene oxide)), ionic or potentially ionic group to assistdispersion of the polyurethane, thereby enhancing the stability of thedispersions. A water-dispersible polyurethane can be formed byincorporating a moiety bearing at least one hydrophilic group or a groupthat can be made hydrophilic (e.g., by chemical modifications such asneutralization) into the polymer chain. For example, these compounds canbe nonionic, anionic, cationic or zwitterionic or the combinationthereof. In one example, anionic groups such as carboxylic acid groupscan be incorporated into the chain in an inactive form and subsequentlyactivated by a salt-forming compound, such as a tertiary amine. Otherwater-dispersible enhancing moieties can also be reacted into thebackbone through urethane linkages or urea linkages, including lateralor terminal hydrophilic ethylene oxide or ureido units.

The water-dispersible enhancing moiety can be a one that includescarboxyl groups. Water-dispersible enhancing moiety that include acarboxyl group can be formed from hydroxy-carboxylic acids having thegeneral formula (HO)_(x)Q(COOH)_(y), where Q can be a straight orbranched bivalent hydrocarbon radical containing 1 to 12 carbon atoms,and x and y can each independently be 1 to 3. Illustrative examplesinclude dimethylolpropanoic acid (DMPA), dimethylol butanoic acid(DMBA), citric acid, tartaric acid, glycolic acid, lactic acid, malicacid, dihydroxymalic acid, dihydroxytartaric acid, and the like, andmixtures thereof.

The water-dispersible enhancing moiety can include reactive polymericpolyol components that contain pendant anionic groups that can bepolymerized into the backbone to impart water dispersiblecharacteristics to the polyurethane. Anionic functional polymericpolyols can include anionic polyester polyols, anionic polyetherpolyols, and anionic polycarbonate polyols, where additional detail isprovided in U.S. Pat. No. 5,334,690.

The water-dispersible enhancing moiety can include a side chainhydrophilic monomer. For example, the water-dispersible enhancing moietyincluding the side chain hydrophilic monomer can include alkylene oxidepolymers and copolymers in which the alkylene oxide groups have from2-10 carbon atoms as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,897,281. Additional typesof water-dispersible enhancing moieties can include thioglycolic acid,2,6-dihydroxybenzoic acid, sulfoisophthalic acid, polyethylene glycol,and the like, and mixtures thereof. Additional details regardingwater-dispersible enhancing moieties can be found in U.S. Pat. No.7,476,705.

Polyamides

The polymer can comprise a polyamide, such as a thermoplastic polyamide,or a thermoset polyamide. The polyamide can be an elastomeric polyamide,including an elastomeric thermoplastic polyamide or an elastomericthermoset polyamide. The polyamide can be a polyamide homopolymer havingrepeating polyamide segments of the same chemical structure.Alternatively, the polyamide can comprise a number of polyamide segmentshaving different polyamide chemical structures (e.g., polyamide 6segments, polyamide 11 segments, polyamide 12 segments, polyamide 66segments, etc.). The polyamide segments having different chemicalstructure can be arranged randomly, or can be arranged as repeatingblocks.

The polyamide can be a co-polyamide (i.e., a co-polymer includingpolyamide segments and non-polyamide segments). The polyamide segmentsof the co-polyamide can comprise or consist of polyamide 6 segments,polyamide 11 segments, polyamide 12 segments, polyamide 66 segments, orany combination thereof. The polyamide segments of the co-polyamide canbe arranged randomly, or can be arranged as repeating segments. Thepolyamide segments can comprise or consist of polyamide 6 segments, orpolyamide 12 segments, or both polyamide 6 segment and polyamide 12segments. In the example where the polyamide segments of theco-polyamide include of polyamide 6 segments and polyamide 12 segments,the segments can be arranged randomly. The non-polyamide segments of theco-polyamide can comprise or consist of polyether segments, polyestersegments, or both polyether segments and polyester segments. Theco-polyamide can be a block co-polyamide, or can be a randomco-polyamide. The copolyamide can be formed from the polycondensation ofa polyamide oligomer or prepolymer with a second oligomer prepolymer toform a copolyamide (i.e., a co-polymer including polyamide segments.Optionally, the second prepolymer can be a hydrophilic prepolymer.

The polyamide can be a polyamide-containing block co-polymer. Forexample, the block co-polymer can have repeating hard segments, andrepeating soft segments. The hard segments can comprise polyamidesegments, and the soft segments can comprise non-polyamide segments. Thepolyamide-containing block co-polymer can be an elastomeric co-polyamidecomprising or consisting of polyamide-containing block co-polymershaving repeating hard segments and repeating soft segments. In blockco-polymers, including block co-polymers having repeating hard segmentsand soft segments, physical crosslinks can be present within thesegments or between the segments or both within and between thesegments.

The polyamide itself, or the polyamide segment of thepolyamide-containing block co-polymer can be derived from thecondensation of polyamide prepolymers, such as lactams, amino acids,and/or diamino compounds with dicarboxylic acids, or activated formsthereof. The resulting polyamide segments include amide linkages(—(CO)NH—). The term “amino acid” refers to a molecule having at leastone amino group and at least one carboxyl group. Each polyamide segmentof the polyamide can be the same or different.

The polyamide or the polyamide segment of the polyamide-containing blockco-polymer can be derived from the polycondensation of lactams and/oramino acids, and can include an amide segment having a structure shownin Formula 13, below, wherein R₆ group represents the portion of thepolyamide derived from the lactam or amino acid.

The R₆ group can be derived from a lactam. The R₆ group can be derivedfrom a lactam group having from 3 to 20 carbon atoms, or a lactam grouphaving from 4 to 15 carbon atoms, or a lactam group having from 6 to 12carbon atoms. The R₆ group can be derived from caprolactam orlaurolactam. The R₆ group can be derived from one or more amino acids.The R₆ group can be derived from an amino acid group having from 4 to 25carbon atoms, or an amino acid group having from 5 to 20 carbon atoms,or an amino acid group having from 8 to 15 carbon atoms. The R₆ groupcan be derived from 12-aminolauric acid or 11-aminoundecanoic acid.

Optionally, in order to increase the relative degree of hydrophilicityof the polyamide-containing block co-polymer, Formula 13 can include apolyamide-polyether block copolymer segment, as shown below:

wherein m is 3-20, and n is 1-8. Optionally, m is 4-15, or 6-12 (e.g.,6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12), and n is 1, 2, or 3. For example, m can be11 or 12, and n can be 1 or 3. The polyamide or the polyamide segment ofthe polyamide-containing block co-polymer can be derived from thecondensation of diamino compounds with dicarboxylic acids, or activatedforms thereof, and can include an amide segment having a structure shownin Formula 15, below, wherein the R₇ group represents the portion of thepolyamide derived from the diamino compound, and the R₈ group representsthe portion derived from the dicarboxylic acid compound:

The R₇ group can be derived from a diamino compound that includes analiphatic group having from 4 to 15 carbon atoms, or from 5 to 10 carbonatoms, or from 6 to 9 carbon atoms. The diamino compound can include anaromatic group, such as phenyl, naphthyl, xylyl, and tolyl. Suitablediamino compounds from which the R₇ group can be derived include, butare not limited to, hexamethylene diamine (HMD), tetramethylene diamine,trimethyl hexamethylene diamine (TMD),m-xylylene diamine (MXD), and1,5-pentamine diamine. The R₈ group can be derived from a dicarboxylicacid or activated form thereof, including an aliphatic group having from4 to 15 carbon atoms, or from 5 to 12 carbon atoms, or from 6 to 10carbon atoms. The dicarboxylic acid or activated form thereof from whichR₈ can be derived includes an aromatic group, such as phenyl, naphthyl,xylyl, and tolyl groups. Suitable carboxylic acids or activated formsthereof from which R₈ can be derived include adipic acid, sebacic acid,terephthalic acid, and isophthalic acid. The polyamide chain can besubstantially free of aromatic groups.

Each polyamide segment of the polyamide (including thepolyamide-containing block co-polymer) can be independently derived froma polyamide prepolymer selected from the group consisting of12-aminolauric acid, caprolactam, hexamethylene diamine and adipic acid.

The polyamide can comprise or consist essentially of apoly(ether-block-amide). The poly(ether-block-amide) can be formed fromthe polycondensation of a carboxylic acid terminated polyamideprepolymer and a hydroxyl terminated polyether prepolymer to form apoly(ether-block-amide), as shown in Formula 16:

The poly(ether block amide) polymer can be prepared by polycondensationof polyamide blocks containing reactive ends with polyether blockscontaining reactive ends. Examples include: 1) polyamide blockscontaining diamine chain ends with polyoxyalkylene blocks containingcarboxylic chain ends; 2) polyamide blocks containing dicarboxylic chainends with polyoxyalkylene blocks containing diamine chain ends obtainedby cyanoethylation and hydrogenation of aliphatic dihydroxylatedalpha-omega polyoxyalkylenes known as polyether diols; 3) polyamideblocks containing dicarboxylic chain ends with polyether diols, theproducts obtained in this particular case being polyetheresteramides.The polyamide block of the poly(ether-block-amide) can be derived fromlactams, amino acids, and/or diamino compounds with dicarboxylic acidsas previously described. The polyether block can be derived from one ormore polyethers selected from the group consisting of polyethylene oxide(PEO), polypropylene oxide (PPO), polytetrahydrofuran (PTHF),polytetramethylene oxide (PTMO), and combinations thereof.

The poly(ether block amide) polymers can include those comprisingpolyamide blocks comprising dicarboxylic chain ends derived from thecondensation of α, ω-aminocarboxylic acids, of lactams or ofdicarboxylic acids and diamines in the presence of a chain-limitingdicarboxylic acid. In poly(ether block amide) polymers of this type, aα, ω-aminocarboxylic acid such as aminoundecanoic acid can be used; alactam such as caprolactam or lauryllactam can be used; a dicarboxylicacid such as adipic acid, decanedioic acid or dodecanedioic acid can beused; and a diamine such as hexamethylenediamine can be used; or variouscombinations of any of the foregoing. The copolymer can comprisepolyamide blocks comprising polyamide 12 or of polyamide 6.

The poly(ether block amide) polymers can include those comprisingpolyamide blocks derived from the condensation of one or more α,ω-aminocarboxylic acids and/or of one or more lactams containing from 6to 12 carbon atoms in the presence of a dicarboxylic acid containingfrom 4 to 12 carbon atoms, and are of low mass, i.e., they have anumber-average molecular weight of from 400 to 1000. In poly(ether blockamide) polymers of this type, an α, ω-aminocarboxylic acid such asaminoundecanoic acid or aminododecanoic acid can be used; a dicarboxylicacid such as adipic acid, sebacic acid, isophthalic acid, butanedioicacid, 1,4-cyclohexyldicarboxylic acid, terephthalic acid, the sodium orlithium salt of sulphoisophthalic acid, dimerized fatty acids (thesedimerized fatty acids have a dimer content of at least 98 weight percentand are preferably hydrogenated) and dodecanedioic acidHOOC—(CH₂)₁₀—COOH can be used; and a lactam such as caprolactam andlauryllactam can be used; or various combinations of any of theforegoing. The copolymer can comprise polyamide blocks obtained bycondensation of lauryllactam in the presence of adipic acid ordodecanedioic acid and with a number average molecular weight of atleast 750 have a melting temperature of from about 127 to about 130degrees C. The various constituents of the polyamide block and theirproportion can be chosen in order to obtain a melting point of less than150 degrees C., or from about 90 degrees C. to about 135 degrees C.

The poly(ether block amide) polymers can include those comprisingpolyamide blocks derived from the condensation of at least one α,ω-aminocarboxylic acid (or a lactam), at least one diamine and at leastone dicarboxylic acid. In copolymers of this type, a α,ω-aminocarboxylicacid, the lactam and the dicarboxylic acid can be chosen from thosedescribed herein above and the diamine that can be used can include analiphatic diamine containing from 6 to 12 atoms and can be acyclicand/or saturated cyclic such as, but not limited to,hexamethylenediamine, piperazine, 1-aminoethylpiperazine,bisaminopropylpiperazine, tetramethylenediamine, octamethylene-diamine,decamethylenediamine, dodecamethylenediamine, 1,5-diaminohexane,2,2,4-trimethyl-1,6-diaminohexane, diamine polyols, isophoronediamine(IPD), methylpentamethylenediamine (MPDM), bis(aminocyclohexyl)methane(BACM) and bis(3-methyl-4-aminocyclohexyl)methane (BMACM).

The polyamide can be a thermoplastic polyamide and the constituents ofthe polyamide block and their proportion can be chosen in order toobtain a melting temperature of less than 150 degrees C., such as amelting point of from about 90 degrees C. to about 135 degrees C. Thevarious constituents of the thermoplastic polyamide block and theirproportion can be chosen in order to obtain a melting point of less than150 degrees C., such as from about and 90 degrees C. to about 135degrees C.

The number average molar mass of the polyamide blocks can be from about300 grams per mole to about 15,000 grams per mole, from about 500 gramsper mole to about 10,000 grams per mole, from about 500 grams per moleto about 6,000 grams per mole, from about 500 grams per mole to about5,000 grams per mole, or from about 600 grams per mole to about 5,000grams per mole. The number average molecular weight of the polyetherblock can range from about 100 to about 6,000, from about 400 to about3000, or from about 200 to about 3,000. The polyether (PE) content (x)of the poly(ether block amide) polymer can be from about 0.05 to about0.8 (i.e., from about 5 mole percent to about 80 mole percent). Thepolyether blocks can be present in the polyamide in an amount of fromabout 10 weight percent to about 50 weight percent, from about 20 weightpercent to about 40 weight percent, or from about 30 weight percent toabout 40 weight percent. The polyamide blocks can be present in thepolyamide in an amount of from about 50 weight percent to about 90weight percent, from about 60 weight percent to about 80 weight percent,or from about 70 weight percent to about 90 weight percent.

The polyether blocks can contain units other than ethylene oxide units,such as, for example, propylene oxide or polytetrahydrofuran (whichleads to polytetramethylene glycol sequences). It is also possible touse simultaneously PEG blocks, i.e., those consisting of ethylene oxideunits, polypropylene glycol (PPG) blocks, i.e. those consisting ofpropylene oxide units, and poly(tetramethylene ether)glycol (PTMG)blocks, i.e. those consisting of tetramethylene glycol units, also knownas polytetrahydrofuran. PPG or PTMG blocks are advantageously used. Theamount of polyether blocks in these copolymers containing polyamide andpolyether blocks can be from about 10 weight percent to about 50 weightpercent of the copolymer, or from about 35 weight percent to about 50weight percent.

The copolymers containing polyamide blocks and polyether blocks can beprepared by any means for attaching the polyamide blocks and thepolyether blocks. In practice, two processes are essentially used, onebeing a 2-step process and the other a one-step process.

In the two-step process, the polyamide blocks having dicarboxylic chainends are prepared first, and then, in a second step, these polyamideblocks are linked to the polyether blocks. The polyamide blocks havingdicarboxylic chain ends are derived from the condensation of polyamideprecursors in the presence of a chain-stopper dicarboxylic acid. If thepolyamide precursors are only lactams or α,ω-aminocarboxylic acids, adicarboxylic acid is added. If the precursors already comprise adicarboxylic acid, this is used in excess with respect to thestoichiometry of the diamines. The reaction usually takes place fromabout 180 to about 300 degrees C., such as from about 200 degrees toabout 290 degrees C., and the pressure in the reactor can be set fromabout 5 to about 30 bar and maintained for approximately 2 to 3 hours.The pressure in the reactor is slowly reduced to atmospheric pressureand then the excess water is distilled off, for example for one or twohours.

Once the polyamide having carboxylic acid end groups has been prepared,the polyether, the polyol and a catalyst are then added. The totalamount of polyether can be divided and added in one or more portions, ascan the catalyst. The polyether is added first and the reaction of theOH end groups of the polyether and of the polyol with the COOH endgroups of the polyamide starts, with the formation of ester linkages andthe elimination of water. Water is removed as much as possible from thereaction mixture by distillation and then the catalyst is introduced inorder to complete the linking of the polyamide blocks to the polyetherblocks. This second step takes place with stirring, preferably under avacuum of at least 50 millibar (5000 Pascals) at a temperature such thatthe reactants and the copolymers obtained are in the molten state. Byway of example, this temperature can be from about 100 to about 400degrees C., such as from about 200 to about 250 degrees C. The reactionis monitored by measuring the torque exerted by the polymer melt on thestirrer or by measuring the electric power consumed by the stirrer. Theend of the reaction is determined by the value of the torque or of thetarget power. The catalyst is defined as being any product whichpromotes the linking of the polyamide blocks to the polyether blocks byesterification. The catalyst can be a derivative of a metal (M) chosenfrom the group formed by titanium, zirconium and hafnium. The derivativecan be prepared from a tetraalkoxides consistent with the generalformula M(OR)₄, in which M represents titanium, zirconium or hafnium andR, which can be identical or different, represents linear or branchedalkyl radicals having from 1 to 24 carbon atoms.

The catalyst can comprise a salt of the metal (M), particularly the saltof (M) and of an organic acid and the complex salts of the oxide of (M)and/or the hydroxide of (M) and an organic acid. The organic acid can beformic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, valeric acid,caproic acid, caprylic acid, lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid,stearic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid,cyclohexanecarboxylic acid, phenylacetic acid, benzoic acid, salicylicacid, oxalic acid, malonic acid, succinic acid, glutaric acid, adipicacid, maleic acid, fumaric acid, phthalic acid or crotonic acid. Theorganic acid can be an acetic acid or a propionic acid. M can bezirconium and such salts are called zirconyl salts, e.g., thecommercially available product sold under the name zirconyl acetate.

The weight proportion of catalyst can vary from about 0.01 to about 5percent of the weight of the mixture of the dicarboxylic polyamide withthe polyetherdiol and the polyol. The weight proportion of catalyst canvary from about 0.05 to about 2 percent of the weight of the mixture ofthe dicarboxylic polyamide with the polyetherdiol and the polyol.

In the one-step process, the polyamide precursors, the chain stopper andthe polyether are blended together; what is then obtained is a polymerhaving essentially polyether blocks and polyamide blocks of highlyvariable length, but also the various reactants that have reactedrandomly, which are distributed randomly along the polymer chain. Theyare the same reactants and the same catalyst as in the two-step processdescribed above. If the polyamide precursors are only lactams, it isadvantageous to add a little water. The copolymer has essentially thesame polyether blocks and the same polyamide blocks, but also a smallportion of the various reactants that have reacted randomly, which aredistributed randomly along the polymer chain. As in the first step ofthe two-step process described above, the reactor is closed and heated,with stirring. The pressure established is from about 5 to about 30 bar.When the pressure no longer changes, the reactor is put under reducedpressure while still maintaining vigorous stirring of the moltenreactants. The reaction is monitored as previously in the case of thetwo-step process.

The proper ratio of polyamide to polyether blocks can be found in asingle poly(ether block amide), or a blend of two or more differentcomposition poly(ether block amide)s can be used with the proper averagecomposition. It can be useful to blend a block copolymer having a highlevel of polyamide groups with a block copolymer having a higher levelof polyether blocks, to produce a blend having an average level ofpolyether blocks of about 20 to about 40 weight percent of the totalblend of poly(amid-block-ether) copolymers, or about 30 to about 35weight percent. The copolymer can comprise a blend of two differentpoly(ether-block-amide)s comprising at least one block copolymer havinga level of polyether blocks below 35 weight percent, and a secondpoly(ether-block-amide) having at least 45 weight percent of polyetherblocks.

Exemplary commercially available copolymers include, but are not limitedto, those available under the tradenames of “VESTAMID” (EvonikIndustries, Essen, Germany); “PLATAMID” (Arkema, Colombes, France),e.g., product code H2694; “PEBAX” (Arkema), e.g., product code “PEBAXMH1657” and “PEBAX MV1074”; “PEBAX RNEW” (Arkema); “GRILAMID”(EMS-Chemie AG, Domat-Ems, Switzerland), or also to other similarmaterials produced by various other suppliers.

The polyamide can be physically crosslinked through, e.g., nonpolar orpolar interactions between the polyamide groups of the polymers. Inexamples where the polyamide is a copolyamide, the copolyamide can bephysically crosslinked through interactions between the polyamidegroups, and optionally by interactions between the copolymer groups.When the co-polyamide is physically crosslinked through interactionsbetween the polyamide groups, the polyamide segments can form theportion of the polymer referred to as the hard segment, and copolymersegments can form the portion of the polymer referred to as the softsegment. For example, when the copolyamide is a poly(ether-block-amide),the polyamide segments form the hard segments of the polymer, andpolyether segments form the soft segments of the polymer. Therefore, insome examples, the polymer can include a physically crosslinkedpolymeric network having one or more polymer chains with amide linkages.

The polyamide segment of the co-polyamide can include polyamide-11 orpolyamide-12 and the polyether segment can be a segment selected fromthe group consisting of polyethylene oxide, polypropylene oxide, andpolytetramethylene oxide segments, and combinations thereof.

The polyamide can be partially or fully covalently crosslinked, aspreviously described herein. In some cases, the degree of crosslinkingpresent in the polyamide is such that, when it is thermally processed,e.g., in the form of a yarn or fiber to form the articles of the presentdisclosure, the partially covalently crosslinked thermoplastic polyamideretains sufficient thermoplastic character that the partially covalentlycrosslinked thermoplastic polyamide is melted during the processing andre-solidifies. In other cases, the crosslinked polyamide is a thermosetpolymer.

Polyesters

The polymers can comprise a polyester. The polyester can comprise athermoplastic polyester, or a thermoset polyester. Additionally, thepolyester can be an elastomeric polyester, including a thermoplasticpolyester or a thermoset elastomeric polyester. The polyester can beformed by reaction of one or more carboxylic acids, or its ester-formingderivatives, with one or more bivalent or multivalent aliphatic,alicyclic, aromatic or araliphatic alcohols or a bisphenol. Thepolyester can be a polyester homopolymer having repeating polyestersegments of the same chemical structure. Alternatively, the polyestercan comprise a number of polyester segments having different polyesterchemical structures (e.g., polyglycolic acid segments, polylactic acidsegments, polycaprolactone segments, polyhydroxyalkanoate segments,polyhydroxybutyrate segments, etc.). The polyester segments havingdifferent chemical structure can be arranged randomly, or can bearranged as repeating blocks.

Exemplary carboxylic acids that can be used to prepare a polyesterinclude, but are not limited to, adipic acid, pimelic acid, subericacid, azelaic acid, sebacic acid, nonane dicarboxylic acid, decanedicarboxylic acid, undecane dicarboxylic acid, terephthalic acid,isophthalic acid, alkyl-substituted or halogenated terephthalic acid,alkyl-substituted or halogenated isophthalic acid, nitro-terephthalicacid, 4,4′-diphenyl ether dicarboxylic acid, 4,4′-diphenyl thioetherdicarboxylic acid, 4,4′-diphenyl sulfone-dicarboxylic acid,4,4′-diphenyl alkylenedicarboxylic acid, naphthalene-2,6-dicarboxylicacid, cyclohexane-1,4-dicarboxylic acid and cyclohexane-1,3-dicarboxylicacid. Exemplary diols or phenols suitable for the preparation of thepolyester include, but are not limited to, ethylene glycol, diethyleneglycol, 1,3-propanediol, 1,4-butanediol, 1,6-hexanediol, 1,8-octanediol,1,10-decanediol, 1,2-propanediol, 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-propanediol,2,2,4-trimethylhexanediol, p-xylenediol, 1,4-cyclohexanediol,1,4-cyclohexane dimethanol, and bis-phenol A.

The polyester can be a polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), apolytrimethylene terephthalate, a polyhexamethylene terephthalate, apoly-1,4-dimethylcyclohexane terephthalate, a polyethylene terephthalate(PET), a polyethylene isophthalate (PEI), a polyarylate (PAR), apolybutylene naphthalate (PBN), a liquid crystal polyester, or a blendor mixture of two or more of the foregoing.

The polyester can be a co-polyester (i.e., a co-polymer includingpolyester segments and non-polyester segments). The co-polyester can bean aliphatic co-polyester (i.e., a co-polyester in which both thepolyester segments and the non-polyester segments are aliphatic).Alternatively, the co-polyester can include aromatic segments. Thepolyester segments of the co-polyester can comprise or consistessentially of polyglycolic acid segments, polylactic acid segments,polycaprolactone segments, polyhydroxyalkanoate segments,polyhydroxybutyrate segments, or any combination thereof. The polyestersegments of the co-polyester can be arranged randomly, or can bearranged as repeating blocks.

For example, the polyester can be a block co-polyester having repeatingblocks of polymeric units of the same chemical structure which arerelatively harder (hard segments), and repeating blocks of the samechemical structure which are relatively softer (soft segments). In blockco-polyesters, including block co-polyesters having repeating hardsegments and soft segments, physical crosslinks can be present withinthe blocks or between the blocks or both within and between the blocks.The polymer can comprise or consist essentially of an elastomericco-polyester having repeating blocks of hard segments and repeatingblocks of soft segments.

The non-polyester segments of the co-polyester can comprise or consistessentially of polyether segments, polyamide segments, or both polyethersegments and polyamide segments. The co-polyester can be a blockco-polyester, or can be a random co-polyester. The co-polyester can beformed from the polycondensation of a polyester oligomer or prepolymerwith a second oligomer prepolymer to form a block copolyester.Optionally, the second prepolymer can be a hydrophilic prepolymer. Forexample, the co-polyester can be formed from the polycondensation ofterephthalic acid or naphthalene dicarboxylic acid with ethylene glycol,1,4-butanediol, or 1,3-propanediol. Examples of co-polyesters includepolyethylene adipate, polybutylene succinate,poly(3-hydroxbutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate), polyethylene terephthalate,polybutylene terephthalate, polytrimethylene terephthalate, polyethylenenapthalate, and combinations thereof. The co-polyamide can comprise orconsist of polyethylene terephthalate.

The polyester can be a block copolymer comprising segments of one ormore of polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), a polytrimethyleneterephthalate, a polyhexamethylene terephthalate, apoly-1,4-dimethylcyclohexane terephthalate, a polyethylene terephthalate(PET), a polyethylene isophthalate (PEI), a polyarylate (PAR), apolybutylene naphthalate (PBN), and a liquid crystal polyester. Forexample, a suitable polyester that is a block copolymer can be a PET/PEIcopolymer, a polybutylene terephthalate/tetraethylene glycol copolymer,a polyoxyalkylenediimide diacid/polybutylene terephthalate copolymer, ora blend or mixture of any of the foregoing.

The polyester can be a biodegradable resin, for example, a copolymerizedpolyester in which poly(α-hydroxy acid) such as polyglycolic acid orpolylactic acid is contained as principal repeating units.

The disclosed polyesters can be prepared by a variety ofpolycondensation methods known to the skilled artisan, such as a solventpolymerization or a melt polymerization process.

Polyolefins

The polymers can comprise or consist essentially of a polyolefin. Thepolyolefin can be a thermoplastic polyolefin or a thermoset polyolefin.Additionally, the polyolefin can be an elastomeric polyolefin, includinga thermoplastic elastomeric polyolefin or a thermoset elastomericpolyolefin. Exemplary polyolefins can include polyethylene,polypropylene, and olefin elastomers (e.g., metallocene-catalyzed blockcopolymers of ethylene and α-olefins having 4 to about 8 carbon atoms).The polyolefin can be a polymer comprising a polyethylene, anethylene-α-olefin copolymer, an ethylene-propylene rubber (EPDM), apolybutene, a polyisobutylene, a poly-4-methylpent-1-ene, apolyisoprene, a polybutadiene, a ethylene-methacrylic acid copolymer,and an olefin elastomer such as a dynamically cross-linked polymerobtained from polypropylene (PP) and an ethylene-propylene rubber(EPDM), and blends or mixtures of the foregoing. Further exemplarypolyolefins include polymers of cycloolefins such as cyclopentene ornorbornene.

It is to be understood that polyethylene, which optionally can becrosslinked, is inclusive a variety of polyethylenes, including lowdensity polyethylene (LDPE), linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE),(VLDPE) and (ULDPE), medium density polyethylene (MDPE), high densitypolyethylene (HDPE), high density and high molecular weight polyethylene(HDPE-HMW), high density and ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene(HDPE-UHMW), and blends or mixtures of any the foregoing polyethylenes.A polyethylene can also be a polyethylene copolymer derived frommonomers of monolefins and diolefins copolymerized with a vinyl, acrylicacid, methacrylic acid, ethyl acrylate, vinyl alcohol, and/or vinylacetate. Polyolefin copolymers comprising vinyl acetate-derived unitscan be a high vinyl acetate content copolymer, e.g., greater than about50 weight percent vinyl acetate-derived composition.

The polyolefin can be formed through free radical, cationic, and/oranionic polymerization by methods well known to those skilled in the art(e.g., using a peroxide initiator, heat, and/or light). The disclosedpolyolefin can be prepared by radical polymerization under high pressureand at elevated temperature. Alternatively, the polyolefin can beprepared by catalytic polymerization using a catalyst that normallycontains one or more metals from group IVb, Vb, VIb or VIII metals. Thecatalyst usually has one or more than one ligand, typically oxides,halides, alcoholates, esters, ethers, amines, alkyls, alkenyls and/oraryls that can be either p- or s-coordinated complexed with the groupIVb, Vb, VIb or VIII metal. The metal complexes can be in the free formor fixed on substrates, typically on activated magnesium chloride,titanium(III) chloride, alumina or silicon oxide. The metal catalystscan be soluble or insoluble in the polymerization medium. The catalystscan be used by themselves in the polymerization or further activatorscan be used, typically a group Ia, IIa and/or IIIa metal alkyls, metalhydrides, metal alkyl halides, metal alkyl oxides or metal alkyloxanes.The activators can be modified conveniently with further ester, ether,amine or silyl ether groups.

Suitable polyolefins can be prepared by polymerization of monomers ofmonolefins and diolefins as described herein. Exemplary monomers thatcan be used to prepare the polyolefin include, but are not limited to,ethylene, propylene, 1-butene, 1-pentene, 1-hexene, 2-methyl-1-propene,3-methyl-1-pentene, 4-methyl-1-pentene, 5-methyl-1-hexene and mixturesthereof.

Suitable ethylene-α-olefin copolymers can be obtained bycopolymerization of ethylene with an α-olefin such as propylene,butene-1, hexene-1, octene-1,4-methyl-1-pentene or the like havingcarbon numbers of 3 to 12.

Suitable dynamically cross-linked polymers can be obtained bycross-linking a rubber component as a soft segment while at the sametime physically dispersing a hard segment such as PP and a soft segmentsuch as EPDM by using a kneading machine such as a Banbury mixer and abiaxial extruder.

The polyolefin can be a mixture of polyolefins, such as a mixture of twoor more polyolefins disclosed herein above. For example, a suitablemixture of polyolefins can be a mixture of polypropylene withpolyisobutylene, polypropylene with polyethylene (for example PP/HDPE,PP/LDPE) or mixtures of different types of polyethylene (for exampleLDPE/HDPE).

The polyolefin can be a copolymer of suitable monolefin monomers or acopolymer of a suitable monolefin monomer and a vinyl monomer. Exemplarypolyolefin copolymers include ethylene/propylene copolymers, linear lowdensity polyethylene (LLDPE) and mixtures thereof with low densitypolyethylene (LDPE), propylene/but-1-ene copolymers,propylene/isobutylene copolymers, ethylene/but-1-ene copolymers,ethylene/hexene copolymers, ethylene/methylpentene copolymers,ethylene/heptene copolymers, ethylene/octene copolymers,propylene/butadiene copolymers, isobutylene/isoprene copolymers,ethylene/alkyl acrylate copolymers, ethylene/alkyl methacrylatecopolymers, ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymers and their copolymers withcarbon monoxide or ethylene/acrylic acid copolymers and their salts(ionomers) as well as terpolymers of ethylene with propylene and a dienesuch as hexadiene, dicyclopentadiene or ethylidene-norbornene; andmixtures of such copolymers with one another and with polymers mentionedin 1) above, for example polypropylene/ethylene-propylene copolymers,LDPE/ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers (EVA), LDPE/ethylene-acrylic acidcopolymers (EAA), LLDPE/EVA, LLDPE/EAA and alternating or randompolyalkylene/carbon monoxide copolymers and mixtures thereof with otherpolymers, for example polyamides.

The polyolefin can be a polypropylene homopolymer, a polypropylenecopolymers, a polypropylene random copolymer, a polypropylene blockcopolymer, a polyethylene homopolymer, a polyethylene random copolymer,a polyethylene block copolymer, a low density polyethylene (LDPE), alinear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), a medium density polyethylene,a high density polyethylene (HDPE), or blends or mixtures of one or moreof the preceding polymers.

The polyolefin can be a polypropylene. The term “polypropylene,” as usedherein, is intended to encompass any polymeric composition comprisingpropylene monomers, either alone or in mixture or copolymer with otherrandomly selected and oriented polyolefins, dienes, or other monomers(such as ethylene, butylene, and the like). Such a term also encompassesany different configuration and arrangement of the constituent monomers(such as atactic, syndiotactic, isotactic, and the like). Thus, the termas applied to fibers is intended to encompass actual long strands,tapes, threads, and the like, of drawn polymer. The polypropylene can beof any standard melt flow (by testing); however, standard fiber gradepolypropylene resins possess ranges of Melt Flow Indices between about 1and 1000.

The polyolefin can be a polyethylene. The term “polyethylene,” as usedherein, is intended to encompass any polymeric composition comprisingethylene monomers, either alone or in mixture or copolymer with otherrandomly selected and oriented polyolefins, dienes, or other monomers(such as propylene, butylene, and the like). Such a term alsoencompasses any different configuration and arrangement of theconstituent monomers (such as atactic, syndiotactic, isotactic, and thelike). Thus, the term as applied to fibers is intended to encompassactual long strands, tapes, threads, and the like, of drawn polymer. Thepolyethylene can be of any standard melt flow (by testing); however,standard fiber grade polyethylene resins possess ranges of Melt FlowIndices between about 1 and 1000.

The thermoplastic and/or thermosetting material can further comprise oneor more processing aids. The processing aid can be a non-polymericmaterial. These processing aids can be independently selected from thegroup including, but not limited to, curing agents, initiators,plasticizers, mold release agents, lubricants, antioxidants, flameretardants, dyes, pigments, reinforcing and non-reinforcing fillers,fiber reinforcements, and light stabilizers

Now turning to the first thermoplastic material that the optical elementcan be disposed onto (e.g., affixed or adhered to), additional detailsregarding the composition are provided. In an aspect, the thermoplasticmaterial that the optical element disposed onto (e.g., first yarn) canhave a softening or melting point of about 80° C. to about 140° C. Inanother aspect, the thermoplastic material is increased to a temperatureat or above creep relaxation temperature (T_(a)), Vicat softeningtemperature (T_(vs)), heat deflection temperature (T_(hd)), and/ormelting temperature (T_(m)), and then the optical element is disposed tothe thermoplastic material. In an aspect, the optical element can bedisposed onto the thermoplastic material while the temperature ismaintained at or above the creep relaxation temperature, the heatdeflection temperature, the Vicat softening temperature, or the meltingtemperature, of the thermoplastic material. In another aspect, theoptical element can be affixed onto the thermoplastic material after thetemperature is allowed to drop below the creep relaxation temperature,the heat deflection temperature, the Vicat softening temperature, or themelting temperature of the thermoplastic material, as long as thethermoplastic material only partially re-solidified and the opticalelement can be affixed thereto.

In general, the thermoplastic material can have a creep relaxationtemperature (T_(a)) of about 80° C. to about 140° C., or from about 90°C. to about 130° C., or about 100° C. to about 120° C. In general, thethermoplastic material can have a Vicat softening temperature (T_(vs))of about 80° C. to about 140° C., or from about 90° C. to about 130° C.,or about 100° C. to about 120° C. In general, the thermoplastic materialcan have a heat deflection temperature (T_(hd)) of about 80° C. to about140° C., or from about 90° C. to about 130° C., or about 100° C. toabout 120° C. In general, the thermoplastic material can have a meltingtemperature (T_(m)) of about 80° C. to about 140° C., or from about 90°C. to about 130° C., or about 100° C. to about 120° C.

In articles that include a textile, the optical element can be disposedonto the textile. The textile or at least an outer layer of the textilecan includes a thermoplastic material that the optical element candisposed onto. The textile can be a nonwoven textile, a syntheticleather, a knit textile, or a woven textile. The textile can comprise afirst fiber or a first yarn, where the first fiber or the first yarn caninclude at least an outer layer formed of the first thermoplasticmaterial. A region of the first or second side of the structure ontowhich the optical element is disposed can include the first fiber or thefirst yarn in a non-filamentous conformation. The optical element can bedisposed onto the textile or the textile can be processed so that theoptical element can be disposed onto the textile. The textured surfacecan be made of or formed from the textile surface. The primer layer canbe disposed on the textile surface and then the optical element can bedisposed onto the primer layer. The textile surface can be used to formthe textured surface, and either before or after this, the primer layercan be optionally applied to the textured surface prior to disposing theoptical element to the textile.

A “textile” may be defined as any material manufactured from fibers,filaments, or yarns characterized by flexibility, fineness, and a highratio of length to thickness. Textiles generally fall into twocategories. The first category includes textiles produced directly fromwebs of filaments or fibers by randomly interlocking to constructnon-woven fabrics and felts. The second category includes textilesformed through a mechanical manipulation of yarn, thereby producing awoven fabric, a knitted fabric, a braided fabric, a crocheted fabric,and the like.

The terms “filament,” “fiber,” or “fibers” as used herein refer tomaterials that are in the form of discrete elongated pieces that aresignificantly longer than they are wide. The fiber can include natural,manmade or synthetic fibers. The fibers may be produced by conventionaltechniques, such as extrusion, electrospinning, interfacialpolymerization, pulling, and the like. The fibers can include carbonfibers, boron fibers, silicon carbide fibers, titania fibers, aluminafibers, quartz fibers, glass fibers, such as E, A, C, ECR, R, S, D, andNE glasses and quartz, or the like. The fibers can be fibers formed fromsynthetic polymers capable of forming fibers such as poly(ether ketone),polyimide, polybenzoxazole, poly(phenylene sulfide), polyesters,polyolefins (e.g., polyethylene, polypropylene), aromatic polyamides(e.g., an aramid polymer such as para-aramid fibers and meta-aramidfibers), aromatic polyimides, polybenzimidazoles, polyetherimides,polytetrafluoroethylene, acrylic, modacrylic, poly(vinyl alcohol),polyamides, polyurethanes, and copolymers such as polyether-polyureacopolymers, polyester-polyurethanes, polyether block amide copolymers,or the like. The fibers can be natural fibers (e.g., silk, wool,cashmere, vicuna, cotton, flax, hemp, jute, sisal). The fibers can beman-made fibers from regenerated natural polymers, such as rayon,lyocell, acetate, triacetate, rubber, and poly(lactic acid).

The fibers can have an indefinite length. For example, man-made andsynthetic fibers are generally extruded in substantially continuousstrands. Alternatively, the fibers can be staple fibers, such as, forexample, cotton fibers or extruded synthetic polymer fibers can be cutto form staple fibers of relatively uniform length. The staple fiber canhave a have a length of about 1 millimeter to 100 centimeters or more aswell as any increment therein (e.g., 1 millimeter increments).

The fiber can have any of a variety of cross-sectional shapes. Naturalfibers can have a natural cross-section, or can have a modifiedcross-sectional shape (e.g., with processes such as mercerization).Man-made or synthetic fibers can be extruded to provide a strand havinga predetermined cross-sectional shape. The cross-sectional shape of afiber can affect its properties, such as its softness, luster, andwicking ability. The fibers can have round or essentially round crosssections. Alternatively, the fibers can have non-round cross sections,such as flat, oval, octagonal, rectangular, wedge-shaped, triangular,dog-bone, multi-lobal, multi-channel, hollow, core-shell, or othershapes.

The fiber can be processed. For example, the properties of fibers can beaffected, at least in part, by processes such as drawing (stretching)the fibers, annealing (hardening) the fibers, and/or crimping ortexturizing the fibers.

In some cases a fiber can be a multi-component fiber, such as onecomprising two or more co-extruded polymeric materials. The two or moreco-extruded polymeric materials can be extruded in a core-sheath,islands-in-the-sea, segmented-pie, striped, or side-by-sideconfiguration. A multi-component fiber can be processed in order to forma plurality of smaller fibers (e.g., microfibers) from a single fiber,for example, by remove a sacrificial material.

The fiber can be a carbon fiber such as TARIFYL produced by FormosaPlastics Corp. of Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, (e.g., 12,000, 24,000, and48,000 fiber tows, specifically fiber types TC-35 and TC-35R), carbonfiber produced by SGL Group of Wiesbaden, Germany (e.g., 50,000 fibertow), carbon fiber produced by Hyosung of Seoul, South Korea, carbonfiber produced by Toho Tenax of Tokyo, Japan, fiberglass produced byJushi Group Co., LTD of Zhejiang, China (e.g., E6, 318, silane-basedsizing, filament diameters 14, 15, 17, 21, and 24 micrometers), andpolyester fibers produced by Amann Group of Bonningheim, Germany (e.g.,SERAFILE 200/2 non-lubricated polyester filament and SERAFILE COMPHIL200/2 lubricated polyester filament).

A plurality of fibers includes 2 to hundreds or thousands or morefibers. The plurality of fibers can be in the form of bundles of strandsof fibers, referred to as tows, or in the form of relatively alignedstaple fibers referred to as sliver and roving. A single type fiber canbe used either alone or in combination with one or more different typesof fibers by co-mingling two or more types of fibers. Examples ofco-mingled fibers include polyester fibers with cotton fibers, glassfibers with carbon fibers, carbon fibers with aromatic polyimide(aramid) fibers, and aromatic polyimide fibers with glass fibers.

As used herein, the term “yarn” refers to an assembly formed of one ormore fibers, wherein the strand has a substantial length and arelatively small cross-section, and is suitable for use in theproduction of textiles by hand or by machine, including textiles madeusing weaving, knitting, crocheting, braiding, sewing, embroidery, orropemaking techniques. Thread is a type of yarn commonly used forsewing.

Yarns can be made using fibers formed of natural, man-made and syntheticmaterials. Synthetic fibers are most commonly used to make spun yarnsfrom staple fibers, and filament yarns. Spun yarn is made by arrangingand twisting staple fibers together to make a cohesive strand. Theprocess of forming a yarn from staple fibers typically includes cardingand drawing the fibers to form sliver, drawing out and twisting thesliver to form roving, and spinning the roving to form a strand.Multiple strands can be plied (twisted together) to make a thicker yarn.The twist direction of the staple fibers and of the plies can affect thefinal properties of the yarn. A filament yarn can be formed of a singlelong, substantially continuous filament, which is conventionallyreferred to as a “monofilament yarn,” or a plurality of individualfilaments grouped together. A filament yarn can also be formed of two ormore long, substantially continuous filaments which are grouped togetherby grouping the filaments together by twisting them or entangling themor both. As with staple yarns, multiple strands can be plied together toform a thicker yarn.

Once formed, the yarn can undergo further treatment such as texturizing,thermal or mechanical treating, or coating with a material such as asynthetic polymer. The fibers, yarns, or textiles, or any combinationthereof, used in the disclosed articles can be sized. Sized fibers,yarns, and/or textiles are coated on at least part of their surface witha sizing composition selected to change the absorption or wearcharacteristics, or for compatibility with other materials. The sizingcomposition facilitates wet-out and wet-through of the coating or resinupon the surface and assists in attaining desired physical properties inthe final article. An exemplary sizing composition can comprise, forexample, epoxy polymers, urethane-modified epoxy polymers, polyesterpolymers, phenol polymers, polyamide polymers, polyurethane polymers,polycarbonate polymers, polyetherimide polymers, polyamideimidepolymers, polystylylpyridine polymers, polyimide polymers bismaleimidepolymers, polysulfone polymers, polyethersulfone polymers,epoxy-modified urethane polymers, polyvinyl alcohol polymers, polyvinylpyrrolidone polymers, and mixtures thereof.

Two or more yarns can be combined, for example, to form composite yarnssuch as single- or double-covered yarns, and corespun yarns.Accordingly, yarns may have a variety of configurations that generallyconform to the descriptions provided herein.

The yarn can comprise at least one thermoplastic material (e.g., one ormore of the fibers can be made of thermoplastic material). The yarn canbe made of a thermoplastic material. The yarn can be coated with a layerof a material such as a thermoplastic material.

The linear mass density or weight per unit length of a yarn can beexpressed using various units, including denier (D) and tex. Denier isthe mass in grams of 9000 meters of yarn. The linear mass density of asingle filament of a fiber can also be expressed using denier perfilament (DPF). Tex is the mass in grams of a 1000 meters of yarn.Decitex is another measure of linear mass, and is the mass in grams fora 10,000 meters of yarn.

As used herein, tenacity is understood to refer to the amount of force(expressed in units of weight, for example: pounds, grams, centinewtonsor other units) needed to break a yarn (i.e., the breaking force orbreaking point of the yarn), divided by the linear mass density of theyarn expressed, for example, in (unstrained) denier, decitex, or someother measure of weight per unit length. The breaking force of the yarnis determined by subjecting a sample of the yarn to a known amount offorce, for example, using a strain gauge load cell such as an INSTRONbrand testing system (Norwood, Mass., USA). Yarn tenacity and yarnbreaking force are distinct from burst strength or bursting strength ofa textile, which is a measure of how much pressure can be applied to thesurface of a textile before the surface bursts.

Generally, in order for a yarn to withstand the forces applied in anindustrial knitting machine, the minimum tenacity required isapproximately 1.5 grams per Denier. Most yarns formed from commoditypolymeric materials generally have tenacities in the range of about 1.5grams per Denier to about 4 grams per Denier. For example, polyesteryarns commonly used in the manufacture of knit uppers for footwear havetenacities in the range of about 2.5 to about 4 grams per Denier. Yarnsformed from commodity polymeric materials which are considered to havehigh tenacities generally have tenacities in the range of about 5 gramsper Denier to about 10 grams per Denier. For example, commerciallyavailable package dyed polyethylene terephthalate yarn from NationalSpinning (Washington, N.C., USA) has a tenacity of about 6 grams perDenier, and commercially available solution dyed polyethyleneterephthalate yarn from Far Eastern New Century (Taipei, Taiwan) has atenacity of about 7 grams per Denier. Yarns formed from high performancepolymeric materials generally have tenacities of about 11 grams perDenier or greater. For example, yarns formed of aramid fiber typicallyhave tenacities of about 20 grams per Denier, and yarns formed ofultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) having tenacitiesgreater than 30 grams per Denier are available from Dyneema (Stanley,N.C., USA) and Spectra (Honeywell-Spectra, Colonial Heights, Va., USA).

Various techniques exist for mechanically manipulating yarns to form atextile. Such techniques include, for example, interweaving,intertwining and twisting, and interlooping. Interweaving is theintersection of two yarns that cross and interweave at right angles toeach other. The yarns utilized in interweaving are conventionallyreferred to as “warp” and “weft.” A woven textile includes include awarp yarn and a weft yarn. The warp yarn extends in a first direction,and the weft strand extends in a second direction that is substantiallyperpendicular to the first direction. Intertwining and twistingencompasses various procedures, such as braiding and knotting, whereyarns intertwine with each other to form a textile. Interloopinginvolves the formation of a plurality of columns of intermeshed loops,with knitting being the most common method of interlooping. The textilemay be primarily formed from one or more yarns that aremechanically-manipulated, for example, through interweaving,intertwining and twisting, and/or interlooping processes, as mentionedabove.

The textile can be a nonwoven textile. Generally, a nonwoven textile orfabric is a sheet or web structure made from fibers and/or yarns thatare bonded together. The bond can be a chemical and/or mechanical bond,and can be formed using heat, solvent, adhesive or a combinationthereof. Exemplary nonwoven fabrics are flat or tufted porous sheetsthat are made directly from separate fibers, molten plastic and/orplastic film. They are not made by weaving or knitting and do notnecessarily require converting the fibers to yarn, although yarns can beused as a source of the fibers. Nonwoven textiles are typicallymanufactured by putting small fibers together in the form of a sheet orweb (similar to paper on a paper machine), and then binding them eithermechanically (as in the case of felt, by interlocking them with serratedor barbed needles, or hydro-entanglement such that the inter-fiberfriction results in a stronger fabric), with an adhesive, or thermally(by applying binder (in the form of powder, paste, or polymer melt) andmelting the binder onto the web by increasing temperature). A nonwoventextile can be made from staple fibers (e.g., from wetlaid, airlaid,carding/crosslapping processes), or extruded fibers (e.g., frommeltblown or spunbond processes, or a combination thereof), or acombination thereof. Bonding of the fibers in the nonwoven textile canbe achieved with thermal bonding (with or without calendering),hydro-entanglement, ultrasonic bonding, needlepunching (needlefelting),chemical bonding (e.g., using binders such as latex emulsions orsolution polymers or binder fibers or powders), meltblown bonding (e.g.,fiber is bonded as air attenuated fibers intertangle during simultaneousfiber and web formation).

In accordance with some aspects, the optical element can be disposed onone or more components that form cushioning elements of a sole of anarticle of footwear. For example, the component can include one or morebladders and the bladder can include the optical element. The bladdercan be unfilled, partially inflated, or fully inflated when thestructural design (e.g., optical element) is adhered to the bladder. Thebladder is a bladder capable of including a volume of a fluid. Anunfilled bladder is a fluid-fillable bladder and a filled bladder is onewhich has been at least partially inflated with a fluid at a pressureequal to or greater than atmospheric pressure. When disposed onto orincorporated into an article, the bladder is generally, at that point, afluid-filled bladder. The fluid be a gas or a liquid. The gas caninclude air, nitrogen gas (N₂), or other appropriate gas.

The bladder can have a gas transmission rate for nitrogen gas, forexample, where a bladder wall of a given thickness has a gastransmission rate for nitrogen that is at least about ten times lowerthan the gas transmission rate for nitrogen of a butyl rubber layer ofsubstantially the same thickness as the thickness of the bladderdescribed herein. The bladder can have a first bladder wall having afirst bladder wall thickness (e.g., about 0.1 to 40 mils). The bladdercan have a first bladder wall that can have a gas transmission rate(GTR) for nitrogen gas of less than about 15 cm³/m²·atm·day, less thanabout 10 m³/m²·atm·day, less than about 5 cm³/m²·atm·day, less thanabout 1 cm³/m²·atm·day (e.g., from about 0.001 cm³/m²·atm·day to about 1cm³/m²·atm·day, about 0.01 cm³/m²·atm·day to about 1 cm³/m²·atm·day orabout 0.1 cm³/m²·atm·day to about 1 cm³/m²·atm·day) for an average wallthickness of 20 mils. The bladder can have a first bladder wall having afirst bladder wall thickness, where the first bladder wall has a gastransmission rate of 15 cm³/m²·atm·day or less for nitrogen for anaverage wall thickness of 20 mils.

In an aspect, the bladder has a bladder wall having an interior-facingside (internally-facing side) and an exterior-facing side(externally-facing side), where the interior-facing side defines atleast a portion of an interior region of the bladder. The multi-layeroptical film (optical element) having a first side and a second opposingside can be disposed on the exterior-facing side of the bladder, theinterior-facing side of the bladder, or both. The exterior-facing sideof the bladder, the interior-facing side of the bladder, or both caninclude a plurality of topographical structures extending from theexterior-facing side of the bladder wall, the interior-facing side ofthe bladder, or both, where the first side or the second side of themulti-layer optical film is disposed on the exterior-facing side of thebladder wall and covering some or all of the plurality of topographicalstructures, the interior-facing side of the bladder wall and coveringsome or all of the plurality of topographical structures, or both, andwherein the multi-layer optical film imparts a structural color to thebladder wall. The primer layer can be disposed on the exterior-facingside of the bladder, the interior-facing side of the bladder, or both,between the bladder wall and the multi-layer optical film.

In a particular aspect, the bladder can include a top wall operablysecured to the footwear upper, a bottom wall opposite the top wall, andone or more sidewalls extending between the top wall and the bottom wallof the inflated bladder. The top wall, the bottom wall, and the one ormore sidewalls collectively define an interior region of the inflatedbladder, and wherein the one or more sidewalls each comprise anexterior-facing side. The multi-layer optical film having a first sideand a second opposing side can be disposed on the exterior-facing sideof the bladder, the interior-facing side of the bladder, or both. Theexterior-facing side of the bladder, the interior-facing side of thebladder, or both can include a plurality of topographical structuresextending from the exterior-facing side of the bladder wall, theinterior-facing side of the bladder, or both, where the first side orthe second side of the multi-layer optical film is disposed on theexterior-facing side of the bladder wall and covering some or all of theplurality of topographical structures, the interior-facing side of thebladder wall and covering some or all of the plurality of topographicalstructures, or both, and wherein the multi-layer optical film imparts astructural color to the bladder wall. The primer layer can be disposedon the exterior-facing side of the bladder, the interior-facing side ofthe bladder, or both, between the bladder wall and the multi-layeroptical film.

An accepted method for measuring the relative permeance, permeability,and diffusion of inflated bladders is ASTM D-1434-82-V. See, e.g., U.S.Pat. No. 6,127,026, which is incorporated by reference as if fully setforth herein. According to ASTM D-1434-82-V, permeance, permeability anddiffusion are measured by the following formulae:

Permeance(quantity of gas)/[(area)×(time)×(pressure difference)]=permeance(GTR)/(pressure difference)=cm³/m²·atm·day (i.e., 24 hours)

Permeability[(quantity of gas)×(film thickness)][(area)×(time)×(pressuredifference)]=permeability [(GTR)×(film thickness)]/(pressuredifference)=[(cm³)(mil)]/m²·atm·day (i.e., 24 hours)

Diffusion at One Atmosphere(quantity of gas)/[(area)×(time)]=GTR=cm³/m²·day (i.e., 24 hours)

The bladder can include a bladder wall that includes a film including atleast one polymeric layer or at least two or more polymeric layers. Eachof the polymeric layers can be about 0.1 to 40 mils in thickness.

The polymeric layer can be formed of polymer material such as athermoplastic material. The thermoplastic material can include anelastomeric material, such as a thermoplastic elastomeric material. Thethermoplastic materials can include thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU),such as those described herein. The thermoplastic materials can includepolyester-based TPU, polyether-based TPU, polycaprolactone-based TPU,polycarbonate-based TPU, polysiloxane-based TPU, or combinationsthereof. Non-limiting examples of thermoplastic material that can beused include: “PELLETHANE” 2355-85ATP and 2355-95AE (Dow ChemicalCompany of Midland, Mich., USA), “ELASTOLLAN” (BASF Corporation,Wyandotte, Mich., USA) and “ESTANE” (Lubrizol, Brecksville, Ohio, USA),all of which are either ester or ether based. Additional thermoplasticmaterial can include those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,713,141;5,952,065; 6,082,025; 6,127,026; 6,013,340; 6,203,868; and 6,321,465,which are incorporated herein by reference.

The polymeric layer can be formed of one or more of the following:ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymers (EVOH), poly(vinyl chloride),polyvinylidene polymers and copolymers (e.g., polyvinylidene chloride),polyamides (e.g., amorphous polyamides), acrylonitrile polymers (e.g.,acrylonitrile-methyl acrylate copolymers), polyurethane engineeringplastics, polymethylpentene resins, ethylene-carbon monoxide copolymers,liquid crystal polymers, polyethylene terephthalate, polyether imides,polyacrylic imides, and other polymeric materials known to haverelatively low gas transmission rates. Blends and alloys of thesematerials as well as with the TPUs described herein and optionallyincluding combinations of polyimides and crystalline polymers, are alsosuitable. For instance, blends of polyimides and liquid crystalpolymers, blends of polyamides and polyethylene terephthalate, andblends of polyamides with styrenics are suitable.

Specific examples of polymeric materials of the polymeric layer caninclude acrylonitrile copolymers such as “BAREX” resins, available fromIneos (Rolle, Switzerland); polyurethane engineering plastics such as“ISPLAST” ETPU available from Lubrizol (Brecksville, Ohio, USA);ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymers marketed under the tradenames “EVAL”by Kuraray (Houston, Tex., USA), “SOARNOL” by Nippon Gohsei (Hull,England), and “SELAR OH” by DuPont (Wilmington, Del., USA);polyvinylidiene chloride available from S.C. Johnson (Racine, Wis., USA)under the tradename “SARAN”, and from Solvay (Brussels, Belgium) underthe tradename “IXAN”; liquid crystal polymers such as “VECTRA” fromCelanese (Irving, Tex., USA) and “XYDAR” from Solvay; “MDX6” nylon, andamorphous nylons such as “NOVAMID” X21 from Koninklijke DSM N.V(Heerlen, Netherlands), “SELAR PA” from DuPont; polyetherimides soldunder the tradename “ULTEM” by SABIC (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia); poly(vinylalcohol)s; and polymethylpentene resins available from Mitsui Chemicals(Tokyo, Japan) under the tradename “TPX”.

Each polymeric layer of the film can be formed of a thermoplasticmaterial which can include a combination of thermoplastic polymers. Inaddition to one or more thermoplastic polymers, the thermoplasticmaterial can optionally include a colorant, a filler, a processing aid,a free radical scavenger, an ultraviolet light absorber, and the like.Each polymeric layer of the film can be made of a different ofthermoplastic material including a different type of thermoplasticpolymer.

The bladder can be made by applying heat, pressure and/or vacuum to afilm. The bladder (e.g., one or more polymeric layers) can be formedusing one or more polymeric materials, and forming the bladder using oneor more processing techniques including, for example, extrusion, blowmolding, injection molding, vacuum molding, rotary molding, transfermolding, pressure forming, heat sealing, casting, low-pressure casting,spin casting, reaction injection molding, radio frequency (RF) welding,and the like. The bladder can be made by co-extrusion followed by heatsealing or welding to give an inflatable bladder, which can optionallyinclude one or more valves (e.g., one way valves) that allows thebladder to be filled with the fluid (e.g., gas).

In examples where the bladder includes the optical element, the opticalelement can be disposed onto the internally-facing surface (side) of thebladder or the externally-facing surface (side) of the bladder. Thetextured layer can be the internally-facing surface (side) or theexternally-facing surface (side) of the bladder. The optical element caninclude the optical layer and optionally the primer layer and texturestructure. The textured layer can be the internally-facing surface(side) or the externally-facing surface (side) of the bladder (e.g.,where the internally-facing or externally-facing side is made of athermoplastic material) and the primer layer disposed thereon and theoptical element disposed on the primer layer.

Now having described embodiments of the disclosure, evaluation ofvarious properties and characteristics described herein are by varioustesting procedures as described herein below.

Method to Determine the Melting Temperature, and Glass TransitionTemperature. The melting temperature and glass transition temperatureare determined using a commercially available Differential Scanningcalorimeter (“DSC”) in accordance with ASTM D3418-97. Briefly, a 10-15gram sample is placed into an aluminum DSC pan and then the lead wassealed with the crimper press. The DSC is configured to scan from −100degrees C. to 225 degrees C. with a 20 degrees C./minute heating rate,hold at 225 degrees C. for 2 minutes, and then cool down to 25 degreesC. at a rate of −10 degrees C./minute. The DSC curve created from thisscan is then analyzed using standard techniques to determine the glasstransition temperature and the melting temperature.

Method to Determine the Melt Flow Index. The melt flow index isdetermined according to the test method detailed in ASTM D1238-13Standard Test Method for Melt Flow Rates of Thermoplastics by ExtrusionPlastometer, using Procedure A described therein. Briefly, the melt flowindex measures the rate of extrusion of thermoplastics through anorifice at a prescribed temperature and load. In the test method,approximately 7 grams of the material is loaded into the barrel of themelt flow apparatus, which has been heated to a temperature specifiedfor the material. A weight specified for the material is applied to aplunger and the molten material is forced through the die. A timedextrudate is collected and weighed. Melt flow rate values are calculatedin grams/10 min.

Method to Determine the Creep Relation Temperature T_(cr). The creeprelation temperature T_(cr) is determined according to the exemplarytechniques described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,866,058. The creep relaxationtemperature T_(cr) is calculated to be the temperature at which thestress relaxation modulus of the tested material is 10% relative to thestress relaxation modulus of the tested material at the solidificationtemperature of the material, where the stress relaxation modulus ismeasured according to ASTM E328-02. The solidification temperature isdefined as the temperature at which there is little to no change in thestress relaxation modulus or little to no creep about 300 seconds aftera stress is applied to a test material, which can be observed byplotting the stress relaxation modulus (in Pa) as a function oftemperature (in ° C.).

Method to Determine the Vicat Softening Temperature T_(vs). The Vicatsoftening temperature T_(vs) is be determined according to the testmethod detailed in ASTM D1525-09 Standard Test Method for VicatSoftening Temperature of Plastics, preferably using Load A and Rate A.Briefly, the Vicat softening temperature is the temperature at which aflat-ended needle penetrates the specimen to the depth of 1 mm under aspecific load. The temperature reflects the point of softening expectedwhen a material is used in an elevated temperature application. It istaken as the temperature at which the specimen is penetrated to a depthof 1 mm by a flat-ended needle with a 1 mm² circular or squarecross-section. For the Vicat A test, a load of 10 N is used, whereas forthe Vicat B test, the load is 50 N. The test involves placing a testspecimen in the testing apparatus so that the penetrating needle restson its surface at least 1 mm from the edge. A load is applied to thespecimen per the requirements of the Vicat A or Vicate B test. Thespecimen is then lowered into an oil bath at 23° C. The bath is raisedat a rate of 50° C. or 120° C. per hour until the needle penetrates 1mm. The test specimen must be between 3 and 6.5 mm thick and at least 10mm in width and length. No more than three layers can be stacked toachieve minimum thickness.

Method to Determine the Heat Deflection Temperature T_(hd). The heatdeflection temperature T_(hd) is be determined according to the testmethod detailed in ASTM D648-16 Standard Test Method for DeflectionTemperature of Plastics Under Flexural Load in the Edgewise Position,using a 0.455 MPa applied stress. Briefly, the heat deflectiontemperature is the temperature at which a polymer or plastic sampledeforms under a specified load. This property of a given plasticmaterial is applied in many aspects of product design, engineering, andmanufacture of products using thermoplastic components. In the testmethod, the bars are placed under the deflection measuring device and aload (0.455 MPa) of is placed on each specimen. The specimens are thenlowered into a silicone oil bath where the temperature is raised at 2°C. per minute until they deflect 0.25 mm per ASTM D648-16. ASTM uses astandard bar 5″×½″×¼″. ISO edgewise testing uses a bar 120 mm×10 mm×4mm. ISO flatwise testing uses a bar 80 mm×10 mm×4 mm.

EXAMPLES Example 1: Forming Optical Element Transfer Structure

In this example an optical element was formed on a transfer medium usinga vapor deposition device. A release paper (e.g., transfer medium) wasused as the carrier for the optical element. The release paper waspurchased from Lintec (Tokyo, Japan) and has a model number of EV130TPD.The release paper has a polyolefin coating and the backing is made ofcellulose. The optical element was formed on the coating.

The release paper was placed into a deposition device. The depositiondevice deposited the optical element onto the coating of the releasepaper.

Example 2: Application of the Optical Element to Textiles Using theRelease Paper as a Carrier

The optical element coated release paper from Example 1 was used todispose the optical element onto a variety of textiles. In one example,a woven textile having a first polyester yarn and a second polyestercore/sheath yarn with a thermoplastic polyurethane coating (TPU coatedyarn) was used.

The woven textile was thermally treated using a heat press including aheated metal plate. The side of the coated release paper with theoptical element on it was placed in contact with a side of the woventextile which included the core-sheath yarn, and then the combinedtextile and release paper were positioned in the heat press, and theheat press was closed so that the heated plate contacted the backinglayer of the release paper. The heated plate was heated to a temperatureof about 80 degrees C. to about 130 degrees C. The TPU coating of thecoated yarn softened or flowed, and took on a non-filamentousconformation during the heat treatment. After heating the textile to atemperature above the softening temperature of the TPU coating material,the combined textile and release paper was removed from contact with theheated plate, and cooled to a temperature below the softeningtemperature of the TPU coating before the release paper was removed fromthe textile. The first polyester yarn, as well as the polyester core ofthe TPU coated yarn, were unaffected by the heat treatment.

As mentioned above, the optical element coated release paper wasdepressed against the heat treated woven textile during the heattreatment using a pressure of about 40 psi to about 80 psi. A portion(e.g., one or more layers in one or more areas) of the optical elementwas deposited onto the woven textile. The optical element was depositedon regions of the woven textile where the TPU coating of the TPU coatedyarn had softened or melted. The optical element did not deposit ontothe polyester yarn. The regions of the woven textile where the opticalelement was deposited had a blue sheen structural color with someiridescence.

It is worth noting that not all of the optical element was removed fromthe coated release paper and the optical element coated release papercould be reused.

Example 3: Application of the Optical Element to Textiles Using theRelease Paper as a Carrier

The optical element coated release paper from Example 1 (another areanot used in Example 2) was used to dispose the optical element onto apiece of black synthetic leather. The synthetic leather has atraditional grained leather texture and has a TPU coating on its outersurface.

The synthetic leather was thermally treated was thermally treated usinga heat press including a heated metal plate. The side of the coatedrelease paper with the optical element on it was placed in contact witha side of the synthetic leather, and then the combined textile andrelease paper were positioned in the heat press, and the heat press wasclosed so that the heated plate contacted the backing layer of therelease paper. The heated plate was heated to a temperature of about 80°C. to about 130° C. The TPU coating softened. After heating the textileto a temperature above the softening temperature of the TPU coatingmaterial, the combined textile and release paper was removed fromcontact with the heated plate, and cooled to a temperature below thesoftening temperature of the TPU coating before the release paper wasremoved from the textile. A portion of the optical element was depositedonto the synthetic leather. The optical element was deposited on regionsof the synthetic leather where TPU layer on the synthetic leather hadsoftened. The regions of the textile where the optical element wasdeposited had a dark blue structural color, which was darker than whatwas observed in Example 2. The difference in structural color as well asthe appearance of lower levels of iridescence may be due to the darkersynthetic leather, the texture of the synthetic leather, or the like.

It is worth noting that not all of the optical element was removed fromthe coated release paper and the optical element coated release papercould be reused.

It should be emphasized that the above-described aspects of the presentdisclosure are merely possible examples of implementations, and are setforth only for a clear understanding of the principles of thedisclosure. Many variations and modifications may be made to theabove-described aspects of the disclosure without departingsubstantially from the spirit and principles of the disclosure. All suchmodifications and variations are intended to be included herein withinthe scope of this disclosure.

The present disclosure can be described in accordance with the followingnumbered Clauses, which should not be confused with the claims. In eachof the clause sets, “disposing” can be replaced with “operablydisposing.”

Clause 1. A method of making a component comprising:

providing a transfer medium having a first surface and a second surface;and

disposing an optical element onto the first surface of the transfermedium, wherein the optical element has a first side and a second side,wherein the first side of the optical element is disposed on the firstsurface of the transfer medium.

Clause 2. The method of clause 1, wherein the first surface of thetransfer medium includes a release material comprising polyolefins,silicones, polyurethanes, or a combination thereof; wherein disposingthe optical element on the first surface of the transfer medium resultsin the optical element being releasably coupled with the transfermedium.Clause 3. The method any one of the preceding clauses, wherein disposingthe optical element includes forming or depositing the optical elementon the first surface of the transfer medium.Clause 4. The method of any one of the preceding clauses, whereindisposing the optical element onto the first surface of the transfermedium includes depositing the optical element using a techniquecomprising: physical vapor deposition, electron beam deposition, atomiclayer deposition, molecular beam epitaxy, cathodic arc deposition,pulsed laser deposition, sputtering, chemical vapor deposition,plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition, low pressure chemical vapordeposition, wet chemistry techniques, or combinations thereof.Clause 5. The method of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein thefirst surface of the transfer medium has a substantially flat surface,wherein disposing includes disposing the optical element on thesubstantially flat surface of the transfer medium.Clause 6. The method of any one of the preceding clauses, furthercomprising disposing a textured surface on the transfer medium, or onthe optical element, or both.Clause 7. The method of any one of the preceding clauses, whereinproviding a textured surface comprises providing a textured layer withinthe optical element.Clause 8. The method of any one of the preceding clauses, furthercomprising forming a textured surface on the first side or the secondside of the optical element.Clause 9. The method of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein thefirst surface of the transfer medium has a textured surface, whereindisposing includes disposing the optical element on the textured surfaceof the transfer medium, resulting in a textured surface on the firstside of the optical element.Clause 10. The method of any one of the preceding clauses, furthercomprising disposing a primer layer having less than 40% transmittanceon the transfer medium or on the optical element.Clause 11. A method of making an article comprising:

providing an optical element transfer structure having a first side anda second side, wherein the first side of the optical element transferstructure includes a transfer medium, and the second side of the opticalelement transfer structure includes an optical element;

contacting at least a portion of the second side of the optical elementtransfer structure with a first surface of a component of an article;

disposing at least a portion of the optical element onto the firstsurface of the component; and

removing the transfer medium from the optical element so that theportion of the optical element remains disposed on the component;

wherein the optical element, as disposed to the article, imparts astructural color.

Clause 12. The method of clause 11, wherein providing an optical elementtransfer structure comprises making an optical element transferstructure according the method of any one of the preceding clauses.

Clause 13. The method of any one of the preceding clauses, whereindisposing at least a portion of the optical element to the first surfaceof the component comprises:

increasing a temperature of the second side of the optical elementtransfer structure;

applying pressure to the second side of the optical element transferstructure; and

decreasing the temperature of the second side of the optical elementtransfer structure.

Clause 14. The method of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein,during the disposing, increasing the temperature is conducted prior toor concurrently with the contacting and the applying pressure, and priorto the decreasing the temperature, and the decreasing the temperature isconducted prior to the removing.Clause 15. The method of any one of the preceding clauses, whereinincreasing the temperature includes increasing the temperature of thesecond side of the optical element transfer structure to a temperatureabove a softening or melting temperature of a release material of thetransfer medium.Clause 16. The method of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein thefirst surface of the component comprises a first thermoplastic material,and the disposing at least the portion of the optical element to thefirst surface of the component comprises disposing at least the portionof the optical element to the thermoplastic material.Clause 17. The method of any one of the preceding clauses, furtherproviding:

increasing a temperature of the at least a portion of the first surfaceof the component to a first temperature at or above one of a creeprelaxation temperature, a heat deflection temperature, a Vicat softeningtemperature, or a melting temperature of the first thermoplasticmaterial; and

disposing the optical element to the first thermoplastic material whilethe temperature of the first surface is at or above the firsttemperature.

Clause 18. The method of any one of the preceding clauses, furthercomprising:

lowering the temperature of the first surface of the component to asecond temperature that is below one of the creep relaxationtemperature, the heat deflection temperature, the Vicat softeningtemperature, or the melting temperature of the first thermoplasticmaterial to partially re-solidify the first thermoplastic material ofthe at least a portion of the first surface, and then, while the firstsurface is at or below the second temperature, disposing the opticalelement to the at least a portion of the first surface of the component.

Clause 19. The method of any one of the preceding clauses, furthercomprising:

lowering the temperature of the first surface of the component to asecond temperature that is below one of the creep relaxationtemperature, the heat deflection temperature, the Vicat softeningtemperature, or the melting temperature of the first thermoplasticmaterial to partially re-solidify the first thermoplastic material ofthe at least a portion of the first surface of the component, and then,while the first surface is at or below the second temperature, disposingthe optical element to the at least a portion of the first surface.

Clause 20. The method of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein thefirst thermoplastic material has material has a creep relaxationtemperature, a heat deflection temperature, a Vicat softeningtemperature, or a melting temperature of about 80 degrees C. to about140 degrees C.Clause 21. The method of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein thefirst surface of the component includes a first constituent, wherein thefirst constituent comprises the first thermoplastic material, whereinthe first constituent is selected from a group consisting of a firstfiber or filament, a first yarn, a film, a textile, or a combinationthereof, and wherein disposing includes disposing the optical element tothe first constituent.Clause 22. The method of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein thefirst constituent has an externally-facing surface comprising the firstthermoplastic material; wherein disposing includes disposing the opticalelement to the externally-facing surface of the first constituent.Clause 23. The method of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein thefirst surface of the component further includes a second constituent,wherein the second constituent is selected from a group consisting of afirst fiber or filament, a first yarn, a film, a textile, or acombination thereof, wherein the optical element is not disposed ontothe second constituent during the disposing stepClause 24. The method of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein thefirst surface of the component further comprises a second constituent,wherein the second constituent is selected from the group consisting of:a second filament, a second yarn, a second film, a second textile, and acombination thereof, wherein the second constituent comprises apolymeric material having a creep relaxation temperature, a heatdeflection temperature, a Vicat softening temperature, or a meltingtemperature that is at least 20 degrees C. above the creep relaxationtemperature, the heat deflection temperature, the Vicat softeningtemperature, or the melting temperature of the first thermoplasticmaterial; and

wherein increasing the temperature of the first surface of the componentto a first temperature does not result in softening or melting of thesecond constituent.

Clause 25. The method of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein thefirst surface of the component, prior to the increasing its temperature,includes an externally-facing portion which comprises a plurality offibers in a filamentous conformation that include the firstthermoplastic material, and increasing the temperature furthercomprises:

increasing the temperature of at least a portion of theexternally-facing portion of the first surface of the component to afirst temperature at or above a creep relaxation temperature, a heatdeflection temperature, a Vicat softening temperature, or a meltingtemperature of the first thermoplastic material to soften or melt thefirst thermoplastic material and alter the conformation of at least aportion of the fibers present on the externally-facing portion of thefirst surface to have a non-filamentous conformation, producing anon-filamentous region on the first surface of the component; and

wherein disposing the optical element onto the first thermoplasticmaterial comprises disposing the optical element onto thenon-filamentous region.

Clause 26. The method of any one of the preceding clauses, furthercomprising:

lowering the temperature of the first surface of the component to asecond temperature that is below the creep relaxation temperature, theheat deflection temperature, the Vicat softening temperature, or themelting temperature of the first thermoplastic material to partiallyre-solidify the first thermoplastic material of the non-filamentousregion, and then disposing the optical element onto the non-filamentousregion while the first surface is at or below the second temperature.

Clause 27. The method of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein theportion of the second side of the optical element transfer structurecontacting the first surface of the component has a substantially flatsurface in the portions that the optical element is disposed onto thecomponent.Clause 28. The method of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein theportion of the second side of the optical element transfer structurecontacting the first surface of the component has a textured surface inportions that the optical element is disposed onto the component.Clause 29. The method of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein thefirst surface of the transfer medium has a textured surface, whereinafter removing the transfer medium from the optical element, the surfaceof the optical element has a textured surface that is the inverse orrelief of the textured surface of the transfer medium.Clause 30. The method of any of the preceding clauses, furthercomprising altering a texture of at least a portion of the first surfaceof the component.Clause 31. The method of any one of the preceding clauses, furthercomprising disposing a textured structure having a textured surface onthe first surface of the component.Clause 32. The method of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein acombination of the textured surface and the optical element impart thestructural color to the component.Clause 33. The method of any one of the preceding clauses, furthercomprising disposing a primer layer between the optical element and thefirst surface of the component.Clause 34. The method of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein theprimer layer is disposed between the textured surface and the opticalelement.Clause 35. The method of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein thetextured surface is disposed between the primer layer and the opticalelement.Clause 36. The method of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein thecombination of the primer layer, the textured surface, and the opticalelement impart the structural color.Clause 37. The method of any one of the preceding clauses, whereindisposing the primer layer includes using a technique includingdigitally printing, offset printing, pad printing, screen printing,flexographic printing, or heat transfer printing, or a combinationthereof.Clause 38. The method of any one of the method clauses, wherein thearticle is an article according to any one of the article clauses.Clause 39. An article comprising a product of the method of any one ofthe preceding clauses.Clause 40. An optical element transfer structure comprising:

a transfer medium having a first surface and a second surface, and

an optical element disposed on at least a portion of the first surfaceof the transfer medium, wherein the optical element includes an opticallayer.

Clause 41. The article of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein thefirst surface of the transfer medium includes a release materialcomprising polyolefins, silicones, polyurethanes, or a combinationthereof.

Clause 42. The article of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein therelease material has a softening or melting temperature of from about105 degrees C. to about 140 degrees C.

Clause 43. The article f any one of the preceding clauses, wherein thesecond surface of the transfer medium comprises cellulose.

Clause 44. The article of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein thetransfer medium is release paper.

Clause 45. The article of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein theoptical element has a thickness of about 50 nm to about 500 nm.

Clause 46. The article of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein thesecond side of the optical element further comprises a thermoplasticmaterial.

Clause 47. The article of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein thethermoplastic material has a softening or melting point of from about 80degrees C. to about 140 degrees C.

Clause 48. The article of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein thethermoplastic material comprises an elastomeric thermoplastic material.

Clause 49. The article of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein thethermoplastic material includes one or more thermoplastic polyurethanes.

Clause 50. An article comprising:

a component having a first surface;

an optical element disposed to the first surface of the component; and

a transfer medium releasably coupled with the optical element.

Clause 51. An article comprising:

a component having a first surface, the first surface comprising a firstthermoplastic material; and

an optical element disposed to the first thermoplastic material, whereinthe optical element imparts a structural color to the component.

Clause 52. The article of any of the preceding clauses, wherein thefirst thermoplastic material comprises a thermoplastic polymer,optionally wherein the first thermoplastic material includes one or moreelastomeric thermoplastic polymers, optionally wherein the firstthermoplastic material includes one or more thermoplastic polyurethanes,thermoplastic polyesters, thermoplastic polyamides, thermoplasticpolyolefins, thermoplastic co-polymers thereof, or a combinationthereof, optionally wherein the first thermoplastic material includesone or more elastomeric thermoplastic polyurethanes, optionally whereina polymeric component of the first thermoplastic material consistsessentially of one or more thermoplastic polyurethanes, optionallywherein a polymeric component of the first thermoplastic materialconsists essentially of one or more elastomeric thermoplasticpolyurethanes.Clause 53. The article of any of the preceding clauses, wherein theoptical element has a thickness of 10 to 500 nm.Clause 54. The article of any of the preceding clauses, wherein theoptical element includes a multilayer reflector or a multilayer filter,optionally wherein the multilayer reflector has at least two layers,including at least two adjacent layers having different refractiveindices, optionally wherein at least one of the layers of the multilayerreflector has a thickness that is about one-fourth of the wavelength ofvisible light to be reflected by the optical element to produce thestructural color, optionally wherein at least one of the layers of themultilayer reflector comprises a material selected from the groupconsisting of: silicon dioxide, titanium dioxide, zinc sulphide,magnesium fluoride, tantalum pentoxide, and a combination thereof.Clause 55. The article of any of the preceding clauses, wherein thefirst surface of the component includes a first constituent, wherein thefirst constituent comprises the first thermoplastic material, whereinthe first constituent is selected from a group consisting of a firstfiber, a first yarn, a film, a textile, or a combination thereof,optionally wherein the first surface of the component includes a firstfiber, wherein the first fiber comprises the first thermoplasticmaterial, optionally wherein the first surface of the component includesa first yarn, wherein the first yarn comprises the first thermoplasticmaterial, optionally wherein the first surface of the component includesa first film, wherein the first film comprises the first thermoplasticmaterial, optionally wherein the first surface of the component includesa first textile, wherein the first textile comprises the firstthermoplastic material.Clause 56. The article of any of the preceding clauses, wherein theoptical element is affixed to the first constituent.Clause 57. The article of any of the preceding clauses, wherein thecomponent further comprises a second constituent, wherein the secondconstituent is selected from the group consisting of: a second filament,a second yarn, a second film, a second textile, and a combinationthereof, wherein the second constituent comprises a polymeric materialhaving a creep relaxation temperature, a heat deflection temperature, aVicat softening temperature, or a melting temperature that is at least20° C. above the creep relaxation temperature, the heat deflectiontemperature, the Vicat softening temperature, or the melting temperatureof the first thermoplastic material.Clause 58. The article of any of the preceding clauses, wherein thesecond constituent comprises a polymer selected from the groupconsisting of: polyesters, polyamides, vinyl polymers, polyolefins,polyacrylonitriles, polyphenylene ethers, polycarbonates, polyureas,styrene polymers, co-polymers thereof, and combinations thereof,optionally wherein the second constituent comprises a polymer selectedfrom the group consisting of: polyesters, polyamides, polyolefins,co-polymers thereof, and combinations thereof.Clause 59. The article of any of the preceding clauses, wherein thefirst constituent has an externally-facing surface comprising the firstthermoplastic material.Clause 60. The article of any of the preceding clauses, wherein theoptical element is affixed to externally-facing surface of the firstconstituent.Clause 61. The article of any of the preceding clauses, wherein thefirst surface of the component has at least one filamentous region atleast one non-filamentous region, or a combination thereof.Clause 62. The article of any of the preceding clauses, wherein theoptical element is disposed on at least one of the non-filamentousregions or the filamentous regions.Clause 63. The article of any of the preceding clauses, furthercomprising a textured surface having a plurality of profile features anda plurality of flat areas.Clause 64. The article of any of the preceding clauses, wherein thetextured surface is on the first surface of the component.Clause 65. The article of any of the preceding clauses, wherein thetextured surface is on a non-filamentous region of the component,wherein the optical element is disposed on the textured surface on thenon-filamentous region.Clause 66. The article of any of the preceding clauses, wherein thetextured surface is on a surface of the optical element.Clause 67. The article of any of the preceding clauses, furthercomprising a textured structure having a textured surface, optionallywherein the textured structure comprises a textured layer on a region ofthe first thermoplastic material, optionally wherein the texturedstructure comprises a textured layer within the optical element,optionally wherein at least a portion of the plurality of profilefeatures extend above the flat areas of the textured structure,optionally, wherein the dimensions of the profile features, a shape ofthe profile features, a spacing among the plurality of the profilefeatures, in combination with the optical element create the structuralcolor, optionally wherein the profile features are in random positionsrelative to one another over an area of the textured surface having asurface area of at least 5 square millimeters, optionally wherein thespacing among the profile features is set to reduce distortion effectsof the profile features from interfering with one another in regard tothe structural color, optionally wherein the profile features and theflat areas result in at least one layer of the optical element having anundulating topography, wherein there is a planar region betweenneighboring depressions and/or elevations that is planar with the flatplanar areas of the textured surface, wherein the planar region hasdimensions relative to the profile features to impart the structuralcolor.Clause 69. The article of any of the preceding clauses, wherein a primerlayer having a percent transmittance of about 40 percent or less isdisposed on the textured surface.Clause 70. The article of any of the preceding clauses, wherein theoptical element is disposed on the first thermoplastic material of theside of the article, with the primer layer, the textured surface, orboth, positioned between the optical element and the first thermoplasticmaterial.Clause 71. The article of any of the preceding clauses, wherein theprimer layer comprises a textured surface, and the textured surface ofthe primer layer, the primer layer, and the optical layer imparts thestructural color.Clause 72. The article of any of the preceding clauses, wherein theprimer layer is formed from digital printing, offset printing, padprinting, screen printing, flexographic printing, or heat transferprinting.Clause 73. The article of any of the preceding clauses, wherein theprimer layer comprises a paint or ink or a reground, and at leastpartially degraded polymer.Clause 74. The article of any of the preceding clauses, wherein theprimer layer is an oxide layer, optionally the oxide layer comprisesmetal oxide or a metal oxynitride, wherein optionally the metal oxide ormetal oxynitride is doped.Clause 75. The article of any of the preceding clauses, wherein theprimer layer is a coating, wherein the coating is a crosslinked coatingincluding a matrix of crosslinked polymers, optionally wherein thecoating comprises a plurality of solid pigment particles entrapped inthe matrix of crosslinked polymers, wherein optionally the matrix ofcrosslinked polymers includes crosslinked elastomeric polymers, whereinoptionally the crosslinked elastomeric polymers include crosslinkedpolyurethane homopolymers or copolymers or both, and wherein thecrosslinked polyurethane copolymers include crosslinked polyesterpolyurethanes.Clause 76. The article of any of the preceding clauses, wherein thecoating further comprises a dye, optionally the dye is present, the dyeis an acid dye, and optionally the coating further comprises aquaternary ammonium compound.Clause 77. The article of any of the preceding clauses, wherein thematrix of crosslinked polymers of the coating include polyurethanepolymers, optionally thermoplastic polyurethane polymers, optionallyelastomeric polyurethane polymers, optionally polyester polyurethanecopolymers, and optionally the polyurethane polymers consist essentiallyof polyester polyurethane copolymers.Clause 78. The article of any preceding clauses, wherein the componentcomprises a textile, wherein the optical element is affixed to thetextile.Clause 79. The article of any preceding clauses, wherein the textile isa woven, braided, crocheted, knit nonwoven, or synthetic leather.Clause 80. The article of any preceding clauses, wherein the componentis a barrier membrane, wherein the optical element is affixed to thebarrier membrane.Clause 81. The article of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein thefirst side of the component includes a film, and at least an outer layerof the film includes the first thermoplastic material.Clause 82. The article of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein thefilm is a multi-layer film.Clause 83. The article of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein thefirst side of the component includes a foam, and at least an outer layerof the foam includes the first thermoplastic material.Clause 84. The article of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein thefirst side of the component includes a component formed of solid resin,and at least an outer layer of the component includes the firstthermoplastic material.Clause 85. The article of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein thecomponent formed of solid resin is a molded component.Clause 86. The article of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein thefirst side of the component includes an additive manufactured component,and at least an outer layer of the component includes the firstthermoplastic material.Clause 87. The article of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein thefirst side of the component includes an externally-facing side of abladder or an internally-facing side of a bladder, and at least an outerlayer of the bladder on the externally-facing side or on theinternally-facing side includes the first thermoplastic material.Clause 88. The article of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein thebladder includes the textured surface on the externally-facing side oron the internally-facing side, and a first side of the optical elementor a second side of the optical element is disposed on the texturedsurface.Clause 89. The article of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein thesecond side of the optical element is disposed on the internally-facingside of the bladder.Clause 90. The article of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein thetextured surface is disposed on the externally-facing side of thebladder.Clause 91. The article of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein thefirst side of the optical element is disposed on the internally-facingside of the bladder, with the primer layer, the textured surface, orboth, positioned on the second side of the optical element.Clause 92. The article of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein thefirst side of the optical element is disposed on the externally-facingside of the bladder, with the primer layer, the textured surface, orboth, positioned between the first side of the optical element and theexternally-facing side of the bladder.Clause 93. The article of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein thearticle is footwear.Clause 94. The article of any of the preceding clauses, wherein thecomponent is a component of footwear, and the optical element is affixedto an externally-facing surface of the article of footwear.Clause 95. The article of any of the preceding clauses, wherein thecomponent is an upper of an article of footwear.Clause 96. The article of any of the preceding clauses, wherein thecomponent is a sole of an article of footwear.Clause 97. The article of any of the preceding clauses, wherein thecomponent is a cushioning element of a sole of an article of footwear.Clause 98. The article of any of the preceding clauses, wherein thecomponent is a bladder of a sole of an article of footwear.Clause 99. The article of any of the preceding clauses, wherein thearticle is apparel or a component of apparel, wherein the opticalelement is affixed to the apparel or a component of apparel.Clause 100. The article of any of the preceding clauses, wherein thearticle is sports equipment or a component of sports equipment, whereinthe optical element is affixed to the sports equipment or a component ofsports equipment.Clause 101. The article of any of the preceding clauses, wherein theresultant optical element, as affixed to the component, when measuredaccording to the CIE 1976 color space under a given illuminationcondition at three observation angles between −15 degrees and +60degrees, has a first color measurement at a first angle of observationhaving coordinates L₁* and a₁* and b₁*, and a second color measurementat a second angle of observation having coordinates L₂* and a₂* and b₂*,and a third color measurement at a third angle of observation havingcoordinates L₃* and a₃* and b₃*, wherein the L₁*, L₂*, and L₃* valuesmay be the same or different, wherein the a₁*, a₂*, and a₃* coordinatevalues may be the same or different, wherein the b₁*, b₂*, and b₃*coordinate values may be the same or different, and wherein the range ofthe combined a₁*, a₂* and a₃* values is less than about 40% of theoverall scale of possible a* values, optionally is less than about 30%of the overall scale of possible a* values, optionally is less thanabout 20% of the overall scale of possible a* values, or optionally isless than about 10% of the overall scale of possible a* values.Clause 73. The article of any of the preceding clauses, wherein theresultant optical element, as affixed to the component, when measuredaccording to the CIE 1976 color space under a given illuminationcondition at three observation angles between −15 degrees and +60degrees, has a first color measurement at a first angle of observationhaving coordinates L₁* and a₁* and b₁*, and a second color measurementat a second angle of observation having coordinates L₂* and a₂* and b₂*,and a third color measurement at a third angle of observation havingcoordinates L₃* and a₃* and b₃*, wherein the L₁*, L₂*, and L₃* valuesmay be the same or different, wherein the a₁*, a₂*, and a₃* coordinatevalues may be the same or different, wherein the b₁*, b₂*, and b₃*coordinate values may be the same or different, and wherein the range ofthe combined b₁*, b₂* and b₃* values is less than about 40% of theoverall scale of possible b* values, optionally is less than about 30%of the overall scale of possible b* values, optionally is less thanabout 20% of the overall scale of possible b* values, or optionally is10% of the overall scale of possible b* values.Clause 102. The article of any of the preceding clauses, wherein theresultant optical element, as affixed to the component, when measuredaccording to the CIE 1976 color space under a given illuminationcondition at two observation angles between −15 degrees and +60 degrees,has a first color measurement at a first angle of observation havingcoordinates L₁* and a₁* and b₁*, and a second color measurement at asecond angle of observation having coordinates L₂* and a_(z)* and b₂*,wherein the L₁* and L₂* values may be the same or different, wherein thea₁* and a₂* coordinate values may be the same or different, wherein theb₁* and b₂* coordinate values may be the same or different, and whereinthe ΔE*_(ab) between the first color measurement and the second colormeasurement is less than or equal to about 100, whereΔE*_(ab)=[(L₁*−L₂*)²+(a₁*−a₂*)²+(b₁*−b₂*)²]^(1/2), optionally is lessthan or equal to about 80, or optionally is less than or equal to about60.Clause 103. The method or article of any of the preceding clauses,wherein the resultant optical element, as affixed to the component, whenmeasured according to the CIELCH color space under a given illuminationcondition at three observation angles between −15 degrees and +60degrees, has a first color measurement at a first angle of observationhaving coordinates L₁* and C₁* and h₁°, and a second color measurementat a second angle of observation having coordinates L₂* and C₂* and h₂°,and a third color measurement at a third angle of observation havingcoordinates L₃* and C₃* and h₃°, wherein the L₁*, L₂*, and L₃* valuesmay be the same or different, wherein the C₁*, C₂*, and C₃* coordinatevalues may be the same or different, wherein the h₁°, h₂° and h₃°coordinate values may be the same or different, and wherein the range ofthe combined h₁°, h₂° and h₃° values is less than about 60 degrees,optionally is less than about 50 degrees, optionally is less than about40 degrees, optionally is less than about 30 degrees, or optionally isless than about 20 degrees.Clause 104. The article of any preceding clause, wherein the structuralcolor is visible to a viewer having 20/20 visual acuity and normal colorvision from a distance of about 1 meter from the article.Clause 105 The article of any preceding clause, wherein the structuralcolor has a single hue.Clause 106. The article of any preceding clause, wherein the structuralcolor includes two or more hues.Clause 107. The article of any preceding clause, wherein the structuralcolor is iridescent.Clause 108. The article of any preceding clause, wherein the structuralcolor has limited iridescence.Clause 109. The article of the preceding clause, wherein the structuralcolor has limited iridescence such that, when each color visible at eachpossible angle of observation is assigned to a single hue selected fromthe group consisting of the primary, secondary and tertiary colors onthe red yellow blue (RYB) color wheel, all of the assigned hues fallinto a single hue group, wherein the single hue group is one of a)green-yellow, yellow, and yellow-orange; b) yellow, yellow-orange andorange; c) yellow-orange, orange, and orange-red; d) orange-red, andred-purple; e) red, red-purple, and purple; f) red-purple, purple, andpurple-blue; g) purple, purple-blue, and blue; h) purple-blue, blue, andblue-green; i) blue, blue-green and green; and j) blue-green, green, andgreen-yellow.Clause 110. The article of the preceding clause, wherein the structuralcolor having limited iridescence is limited to two or three of the huesgreen-yellow, yellow, yellow-orange; or the hues purple-blue, blue, andblue-green; or the hues orange-red, red, and red-purple; or the huesblue-green, green, and green-yellow; or the hues yellow-orange, orange,and orange-red; or the hues red-purple, purple, and purple-blue.Clause 111. The article of any preceding clause, wherein the primerlayer consists essentially of a metal oxide, optionally titanium dioxideor silicon dioxide, and optionally consists essentially of titaniumdioxide.Clause 112. The article of any preceding clause, wherein the primerlayer consists essentially of a doped metal oxide or a doped metaloxynitride or both.Clause 113. The article of any preceding clause, wherein the primerlayer has a thickness of about 1 to about 200 micrometers, or optionallyof about 10 to about 100 micrometers, or optionally of about 10 to about80 micrometers.

It should be noted that ratios, concentrations, amounts, and othernumerical data may be expressed herein in a range format. It is to beunderstood that such a range format is used for convenience and brevity,and thus, should be interpreted in a flexible manner to include not onlythe numerical values explicitly recited as the limits of the range, butalso to include all the individual numerical values or sub-rangesencompassed within that range as if each numerical value and sub-rangeis explicitly recited. To illustrate, a concentration range of “about0.1 percent to about 5 percent” should be interpreted to include notonly the explicitly recited concentration of about 0.1 weight percent toabout 5 weight percent but also include individual concentrations (e.g.,1 percent, 2 percent, 3 percent, and 4 percent) and the sub-ranges(e.g., 0.5 percent, 1.1 percent, 2.2 percent, 3.3 percent, and 4.4percent) within the indicated range. The term “about” can includetraditional rounding according to significant figures of the numericalvalue. In addition, the phrase “about ‘x’ to ‘y’” includes “about ‘x’ toabout ‘y’”.

Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-describedembodiments. All such modifications and variations are intended to beincluded herein within the scope of this disclosure and protected by thefollowing claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of making a component comprising:providing a transfer medium having a first textured surface and a secondsurface on the side opposite the first textured surface, and an opticalelement disposed on the first textured surface of the transfer medium,wherein the optical element includes one or more optical layers and hasa first side and a second side on the side opposite the first side,wherein the first side of the optical element is disposed on the firsttextured surface of the transfer medium, and is releasably coupled withthe a release material; directly contacting at least a portion of one ofthe one or more optical layers of the second side of the optical elementwith a first surface of a component; disposing at least a portion of theone of the one or more optical layers of the second side of the opticalelement onto the first surface of the component; and removing thetransfer medium from the optical element so that at least a portion ofthe optical element remains disposed on the component; wherein the atleast a portion of the optical element disposed on the componentexhibits a structural color, and the structural color is anangle-independent structural color in that the hue, the hue and value,or the hue, value and chroma observed is independent of the angle ofobservation.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first texturedsurface of the transfer medium includes a release material comprisingpolyolefins, silicones, polyurethanes, or a combination thereof.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises forming ordepositing the optical element on the first textured surface of thetransfer medium.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein forming or depositingthe optical element onto the first textured surface of the transfermedium includes depositing the optical element using a techniquecomprising: physical vapor deposition, electron beam deposition, atomiclayer deposition, molecular beam epitaxy, cathodic arc deposition,pulsed laser deposition, sputtering, chemical vapor deposition, wetchemistry techniques, or combinations thereof.
 5. The method of claim 3,wherein forming or depositing at least a portion of the one or moreoptical layers of the second side of the optical element to the firstsurface of the component comprises: increasing a temperature of thesecond side of the optical element; applying pressure to the second sideof the optical element; and decreasing the temperature of the secondside of the optical element.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein, duringthe forming or depositing, increasing the temperature is conducted priorto or concurrently with the contacting and the applying pressure, andprior to the decreasing the temperature, and the decreasing thetemperature is conducted prior to the removing.
 7. The method of claim5, wherein increasing the temperature includes increasing thetemperature of the second side of the optical element to a temperatureabove a softening or melting temperature of a release material of thetransfer medium.
 8. The method of claim 3, wherein the first surface ofthe component comprises a first thermoplastic material, and thedisposing at least the portion of the optical element to the firstsurface of the component comprises disposing at least the portion of theoptical element to the thermoplastic material.
 9. The method of claim 8,further comprising: increasing a temperature of the at least a portionof the first surface of the component to a first temperature at or aboveone of a creep relaxation temperature, a heat deflection temperature, aVicat softening temperature, or a melting temperature of the firstthermoplastic material; and disposing the optical element to the firstthermoplastic material while the temperature of the first surface is ator above the first temperature.
 10. The method of claim 8, furthercomprising: lowering the temperature of the first surface of thecomponent to a second temperature that is below one of the creeprelaxation temperature, the heat deflection temperature, the Vicatsoftening temperature, or the melting temperature of the firstthermoplastic material to partially re-solidify the first thermoplasticmaterial of the at least a portion of the first surface, and then, whilethe first surface is at or below the second temperature, disposing theoptical element to the at least a portion of the first surface of thecomponent.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein a primer layer is disposedbetween the textured surface and the optical element.
 12. The method ofclaim 11, wherein the primer layer comprises a paint or ink or areground, and at least partially degraded polymer.
 13. The method ofclaim 11, wherein the primer layer is an oxide layer.
 14. The method ofclaim 11, wherein the primer layer has a thickness of about 1 to about200 micrometers.
 15. The method of claim 1, wherein theangle-independent structural color displays the same hue orsubstantially the same hue when viewed from at least 3 different anglesthat are at least 15 degrees apart from each other to the component.